5 things you didn't know about Toby Graser

"I never plan ahead what I'm going to do. I just go with my gut." - TG

I had the privilege of visiting Toby Graser, a few weeks ago and have since made a new friend. (And Simon has a new admirer!) She is a well-known abstract artist from Saint John who has been painting for over 50 years. We had a great visit, she showed me around her studio and recalled old stories about her journey through life an artist. I did put Toby in the third issue of the magazine but I thought I'd do a little post about her anyway because she's that kind of lady. She does not care what people think of her, she just follows that inner drive that compels her to build layer upon layer of paper and paint together into beautiful works of art. I hope I'm as dynamic and creative as she is when I'm 80.

With over 50 solo shows under her belt, a major retrospective of her work which toured Canada in the 1990s, a show in Mexico with Suzanne Hill and Kathy Hooper and so much more, this lady is one of the most accomplished and celebrated artists in New Brunswick. She is incredibly modest, down-to-earth and just one of those people you want to know in life. Lots of things have been said and written about Toby and her work, so I thought I'd do something clever and original à la internet to share with you:

So here goes, five things I bet you didn't know about Toby Graser:

1. She was a model before she became an artist. She still poses like one in front of a camera.

2. Her very first painting was of a Cubist tiger. I want to see it.

3. When she first started painting, she used makeup instead of paint to save money.

4. One of her grandsons is a famous internet gamer named Graser10. He has wayyy more followers than you'd expect.

5. She says she has spent more on paper (for her art) than on clothes in her life. You just have to visit her studio to see it's true.

Thanks for the visit Toby, we'll be back soon!