Project Space

TOBY TOVER 

"peopling"

Artist Reception-April 29th, 4-6pm.

Show Dates: April 14th-May 18th, 2023

Artists Statement: Toby had an overwhelming drive to have a career as a painter, but responsibilities towards her family led her in another direction. So, it wasn’t until 1965 (after graduating from UC Berkeley and UCLA with a BS cum laude), that she realized her desire to paint. She then returned to UC Berkeley and the San Francisco Art Institute. Tover began focusing on narrative figurative work at U.C. Influenced and inspired by the figurative German Expressionists (as well as American painter Alice Neel), Toby states "I paint subjects to elicit a connectedness with the viewer - everyday life 'clip shots', moments frozen in time, have held a fascination for me. Satire, humor and personal isolation are strong threads that weave themselves throughout my work. These images have been processed through a personal filter. Movies, theater and personal or documentary photography have a strong attraction for me", states the artist, “while abstract paintings evolve from an emotional journey to an unknown place”.