-- David Tobey
Artist's statement about
"Driving Force"
"I paint and sculpt to touch the viewer. This is the real driving force. The expression of energy and momentum, abstraction and surrealism is all part of the tools I use to make a statement. And this artistic statement is about my passionate reaction and attempt to understand important internal and external events in my life � such as death, war, natural & political tragedies; and in contrast � personal joys, imagination, and excitement. These are all emotions and experiences that can ring true for all mankind. For a number of years, I have been fascinated by the elements of physics in relation to the forces in energy in nature, and also by the clear commonality between music, which I am intimately involved with, and abstract painting and sculpture. I find just as in all art forms and in the sciences, the concept of relationship and balance is crucial.
"After doing my painting and sculpture at many different levels of abstraction, I finally realized it was not the abstraction that produced the levels of pure pictorial power, but the interaction and relationship of all the visual elements of the artwork. With this in mind, any level of representation or abstraction can be successful
"As with most artists today, I am very aware of the formal plastic elements in art. I have developed many aesthetic consistencies in my work even when at times it may seem diverse. But my art is always tied to expression. A common artistic thread in this exhibition shows my interest in color, curved space, balance, rhythm, and movement. Ultimately, a painting or sculpture is only finished when all if its elements and relationships work to such an extent that it lives to the viewer.
"This exhibition is not so much to do with evolution, but with expansion and development of who I am as a person and an artist. That's why this exhibition is called Driving Force -- The force of who I am and what I want to be."
August, 2007