Twenty-four years into his career, impressionistic wildlife sculptor Joshua Tobey has begun to reflect on where he started and where he wants to go. The son of renowned sculptor Gene Tobey received an incomparable art education while working side by side with his dad – who quickly taught him to find his own style.
That style, characterized by a smooth-as-glass texture and vibrant proprietary patinas, continues to evolve. Joshua will return to Sedona on Friday, April 5, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, April 6, from 1 to 4 p.m., for his annual one-man show at Rowe Fine Art Gallery. During Wild Spirit, art lovers will have the opportunity to meet Joshua and see the debut of new works like Lady’s Man, featuring a turkey, High Rise, which depicts a trout, and Triumph, showcasing a red stag.
Coming up with new ideas to sculpt isn’t a problem for Joshua, even after two decades. “I have more ideas than I could ever sculpt,” he says. When he was starting out, he sculpted his wildlife subjects, everything from bears to bunnies to bobcats, entirely from memory, but today, as Joshua carefully works more anatomy into his work, he’s using reference materials and enjoying the process of evolution.
“Part of my collector base has been asking me to say more about the subject matter,” Joshua says. “I love interacting with my collectors – they give me clues as to where I should go next. But I’m also trying to not overthink the process and remember to come from a place of instinct and intuition. I don’t want to lose sight of why I sculpt, which is for the joy of it.”
As busy as always – during the first two months of this year, Joshua was only home in Loveland, Colorado, for 10 days – it’s shows like the one at Rowe Gallery that keeps him energized. And while he plans to bring a precast sculpture to Sedona, don’t expect Joshua to demo his work. “I’ve never sculpted in public,” he confesses. “For me, building a sculpture is very private. Plus I can’t talk and think at the same time – and I love to talk to people!”
Stop by Rowe Fine Art Gallery April 5 or 6 to meet this personable artist and enjoy one of the gallery’s most anticipated shows of the year.
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 and Instagram.