Artist Toby Davis captures fleeting moments of time in the hustle and bustle of urban cities and towns. Visit his website to see more of his art.
!["E Grand Avenue - Chicago" Oil on Panel, 30" x 40"by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/e_grand_avenue___chi_iP2UL-338x450.jpg)
“E Grand Avenue – Chicago” Oil on Panel, 30″ x 40″
My art is about capturing the sometimes overlooked beauty of urban scenes.
!["Bottle of Red, Bottle of White" Oil on Panel, 30" x 24" by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/bottle_of_red__bottl_AkGsh-450x360.jpg)
“Bottle of Red, Bottle of White” Oil on Panel, 30″ x 24″
I think that often in the hurry to get from point A to B, many people forget to take in the beauty around them, the interesting architecture or the sunlight reflecting off a window display.
!["Flatiron Window" Oil on Panel, 40" x 30" by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/flatiron_window-450x338.jpg)
“Flatiron Window” Oil on Panel, 40″ x 30″
Almost all of my paintings start from my own photographs and are a personal documentation of the places I’ve been to and the views I’ve seen. Picasso once said, “Painting is another way of keeping a diary.” In my case, it would be more of a travel journal.
!["La Style" Oil on Panel, 30" x 40" by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/la_style-338x450.jpg)
“La Style” Oil on Panel, 30″ x 40″
I like to spend a week in each city I explore, hitting the streets, eating street food and getting as many photos as I can get while I’m there. It’s a marathon. I usually log in about 14-18 miles a day and can often bring home 2800 photos in a week.
!["Kenny and Zukes - Portland" Oil on Panel, 30" x 24"by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/kenny_and_zukes__por_cOPDy-450x360.jpg)
“Kenny and Zukes – Portland” Oil on Panel, 30″ x 24″
Leaving the place I’ve been to without all the photos I could possibly get is just not fathomable to me.
!["Parkin'" Oil on Panel, 24" x 30" by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/parkin_-360x450.jpg)
“Parkin'” Oil on Panel, 24″ x 30″
I take all those photos back to my studio, and sort through them constantly, editing and cropping to find inspirational scenes to paint.
!["9th Street Cafe" Oil on Panel, 30" x 30"by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/9th_street_cafe-450x450.jpg)
“9th Street Cafe” Oil on Panel, 30″ x 30″
I think a huge part of my process is editing my reference photos to make them look as close to what I want my paintings to look like as possible.
!["Tartempion" Oil on Panel, 30" x 24" by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/tartempion-450x360.jpg)
“Tartempion” Oil on Panel, 30″ x 24″
Oil paint is great medium for making changes as you work, and I do take advantage of that. However, I think the process goes much smoother if you are able to see where you’re going with a painting before you start.
!["Place des Pyramides" Oil on Panel, 24" x 30" by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/place_des_pyramides-360x450.jpg)
“Place des Pyramides” Oil on Panel, 24″ x 30″
I grew up in rural Idaho, but have lived in several large cities, and love to travel. I’m inspired by the diversity and interesting scenes one finds in an urban environment.
!["Pike's Place - Seattle" Oil on Panel, 30" x 30" by artist Toby Davis. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com](https://www.artsyshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/pike_s_place__seattl_0oI8l-450x450.jpg)
“Pike’s Place – Seattle” Oil on Panel, 30″ x 30″
Each city I discover seems to have its own “flavor” and I enjoy trying to put those aspects into my work. I hope that my paintings are able to connect viewers with a special place in their lives.
Artist Toby Davis invites you to follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
Speak Your Mind