Issue 5 Artist Spotlight | Toby Gordon
C+B: Tell us about yourself, Toby!
TG: I was an acquisitions editor in educational publishing for thirty years, but always painted in my free time. I retired several years ago and was thrilled then to start painting full-time. Living on the southern coast of Maine, I take daily walks and am continually inspired and influenced by the surrounding landscape—the marshes, the rocky coast, the vegetation, high and low tides, the way the sun hits water in the early morning versus the late afternoon. The shifting light and colors, no matter the season, affect what I paint, whether I’m focusing on landscapes, still lifes, or nonrepresentational work. The natural world is always at play in what I see, feel, and paint.
C+B: How has your relationship with your work changed since you first started creating?
TG: When I first started painting, I felt there were “right and wrong” ways of doing things and I was cautious in my practice. Years later, I feel there’s no need to be precious about any of this. Paint, paint some more, and just keep at it. If it doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to obliterate a work and start over. Those paintings often end up being my best.
C+B: Share some details about your process for creating.
TG: I start painting immediately after I walk. I often begin with small 8x8 gouache and watercolor pieces—what I’ve come to consider my morning mediations—before I dig into larger oils. These works on paper are often quick, playful, and serve as a way of focusing my attention. There is no plan for them, just a beginning mark—they then develop in a kind of free-associative way. Over time, I’ve deepened my interest in and relationship with these water-based pieces and now take them as seriously as my oil paintings.
C+B: What famous creator would you most want to show your work to and why?
TG: I think painting is often like poetry—a brief reflection of an internal state, a moment in time revealing something previously unknown. For this reason, I’d like to share my work with Jane Hirshfield, a poet of great wisdom and wonder.
C+B: What is something exciting that you're looking forward to in your life or creative life?
TG: After having spent the winter in Asheville, NC, visiting my adorable 18-month-old granddaughter (and her parents!), I am looking forward to getting back to my Maine studio and to plein air painting this spring.
Find and support Toby here:
IG: @trg210
Website: tobygordonart.com
(Approaching October, 8’’ x 8’’, watercolor, ©Toby Gordon)
My ideal creative retreat: I would relocate to a beautiful new place for a few weeks, spend time getting to know it, and paint away. I’d never have to worry about meals as they would magically appear and all menial tasks would magically disappear!
Some of my favorite creators to follow: Sarah Faragher @sarah_faragher_painter, Rick Fox @rickfoxpaintings, Chris Liberti @chris_liberti_, Carole Rabe @carole.rabe.painting
If I didn’t work in my current medium, I would like to try: I would work with textiles, weaving and sewing. I often turn to fabric artists to be inspired by their stunning designs and palettes. There’s a vibrancy to textiles that I find energizing and powerful.
My hope for those viewing my work: I hope my nonrepresentational work will create a feeling of energy and excitement and my abstract landscapes will evoke a strong sense of place, whether real or imagined.
Toby Gordon
