Featured Artist Toby Davis

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.

 

 

My art is about capturing the sometimes overlooked beauty of urban scenes.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

Leaving the place I’ve been to without all the photos I could possibly get is just not fathomable to me.

 

 

I take all those photos back to my studio, and sort through them constantly, editing and cropping to find inspirational scenes to paint.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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