Toby Moate

Cheltenham, GLOUCESTERSHIRE United Kingdom

Artist Statement:

I live and work from my studio at home in Cheltenham where I have lived for 20 years having travelled around from Winchester, London, Jersey and Bristol.
I am relatively new to the 'professional artist' status, having come from it from the 'hobby' direction. People started wanting my stuff, which was rather nice! SO...it travelled off to various places local (private, bars, hotels)....and far (London, California, Finland, S of France etc). When the opportunity arose I decided to concentrate on it full-time.
Though I create allsorts of works I do love semi-abstract and figurative works related to still lifes, nudes, trees and landscapes.
Always learning and using my science base to do some (sometimes) effective art with weird substances (e.g. glue, tiler's adhesive, Teflon, plastics) as well as more normal oils, acrylics etc.
I still have to supplement my living with other activities such as landscaping, gardening, which is rather fun and good for the soul. However things seem to be on the up, and I have just started looking further afield than locally, set up a website (a bit neglected as I have also) started joining/being invited onto (and selling) sites like this (which is rather flattering).
Also I have been learning to photograph and present stuff a bit more professionally...give us a chance I am only at the stage equivalent of just out of art college.....!

Education:

Self-taught except for classes at local life drawing classes and the like. Practice, practice practice!
I almost went to art college as a teenager, but went to medical school instead as wanting to understand what made people tick was more compelling! I became a consultant psychiatrist working in the NHS for 20 years - part-time after I had paid off my mortgage.
After increasing battles with management who were horrible and bad for me and my patients (I believe) the only option was to leave this 'abusive relationship' and do something that was healthier. The art happened sort of by accident in the meantime.

Awards & Distinctions:

Nothing yet, but have been shortlisted a couple of times (e.g. a ink and charcoal drawing in a saatchiart.com competition earlier this year).

Professional/Teaching Experience:

only in 'life' and psychiatry in my previous career....apparently quite good at 'getting ideas across'...let's see what happens in the art world?!

Exhibitions:

Local Galleries and a new endeavour in Brick Lane Gallery (London). Paintings displayed in Hotels and Bars. Some sales from websites.

Artistic Influences:

I suppose I really like the weird (but not so) colours that came from Vincent VG's head(!) and the ambiguity of some more modern abstract expressionism and impressionism.
I was REALLY influenced by the nonsense that comes from some 'expert' heads - who I call 'beret-wearers' and insist on telling me what I should feel in their 'critiques'. I HATE the word 'inspiration', which is over used and means very little. 'Bollocology' is unfortunately rife in many vocations, and none so worse than psychiatry and the artworld.
If your granny has a painting you did up on the fridge then in my eyes you are an artist - someone like your stuff (which is what I told a six year old who asked how to become an artist - also said you've got to practice a lot like anything)!
Start and see what happens (as relevant to art as to psychotherapy!)

Artist Tags:

landscape, trees, figurative, semi-abstract, impressionism

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Toby Moate

Cheltenham, GLOUCESTERSHIRE United Kingdom