Sedona News – Rowe Fine Art Gallery’s exciting fall lineup of shows continues October 28 and 29 when impressionistic wildlife sculptor Joshua Tobey rolls into town for his annual one-man show. Heart and Soul gets started on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and continues on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. As in years past, Joshua will debut new bronzes as well as several works-in-progress that the gallery can’t reveal quite yet… “Those clay precast sculptures will be a surprise since they are still in the works,” teases Joshua.
As the title of the show implies, art lovers can expect to meet Heart & Soul, two life-size wolves caught serenading the moon – or perhaps each other. Wild Spirit is a majestic, life-size mountain lion with a pose that can only be described as regal. Joshua will also debut Over the Moon featuring one of his favorite subjects, rabbits.
These pieces will join some of the other 22 sculptures Joshua has created since March 2021 including Not So Fast, depicting a snoozing chipmunk; Under Radar, a mother jackrabbit with her babies, Alpha, Charlie and Echo; and precasts Wild Child (a mother bear and her cub) and a pair of running rabbits that hasn’t been officially named just yet. The sculptor admits that oftentimes the title is the very last part of his creative process, often happening only after he’s chosen the sculpture’s patina.
Collectors will also get a kick out of Itchy Bum, Joshua’s first warthog and the first time he’s had the opportunity to sculpt wildlife native to Africa, something he’s wanted to do for years, he admits.
He also has a soft spot in his heart for Hummin’ Along, which features a hummingbird in flight and will be part of the show. Joshua’s wife, Jojo, who many collectors have met at the gallery in years past, has a passion for the tiny winged birds that flock to the couple’s home in Loveland, Colorado. “She goes through 11 gallons of food each day during the peak of summer,” confides Joshua.
As always, Joshua is excited to spend time with Red Rock Country’s discerning art collectors. The busy artist travels 100 days per year: This fall, he’ll spend time in Jackson Hole and Cody, Wyoming, before coming to Sedona. Early next year, he’ll travel to Scottsdale, Dallas, Texas, and Park City, Utah, before taking a break in the spring to spend time in his studio.
“It’s a crazy pace – a wild ride,” says Joshua. “Sculptors are entrepreneurs in a mega sense. We come up with a concept, produce it, sell it, and spend time meeting with clients. In a nutshell, we do it all and wear many hats. I love meeting with people. My lifestyle seems diametrically opposed: In the studio, I’m completely in my head. But then I come to a show like the one at Rowe Fine Art Gallery, and I satisfy the extrovert in me who wants to meet people and verbalize his artwork.”
Rowe Fine Art Gallery represents traditional and contemporary southwestern artists. The gallery, located under the bell tower in Patio de las Campanas at Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 928-282-8877, visit rowegallery.com, or find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.