Bio
Toni Weber grew up on the coast of southern California. Her earliest influences include being inspired by her mother’s creativity which she credits for setting in motion a strong sense of curiosity and an intense desire to create. Her education always included forms of artistic expression including dance, pottery, jewelry making, fiber arts, writing and photography. As an adult she pursued a focused education in photography, which led to becoming a professional photographer for over a decade. Later in life when she began painting, her background in photography transferred to the canvas, having many principles in common. To further her skills in painting, she recently graduated from the Milan Institute Mastery Program.
With a deep connection to the natural world and internal themes of grace and overcoming, Toni’s art is embedded with messages of hope and joy. She expresses these thoughts with colorful and unrestrained brush strokes and organic marks, dancing the line between the recognizable and the imaginative. Staying intuitive is essential in Toni’s process, valuing freedom over rules, experimentation over convention. Toni says, “As an artist I never want to feel confined by someone’s expectations of how I should paint. Just as I never want to tell the viewer what to think or feel when they engage with my art. Both are extremely personal.”
Toni paints from her home studio on the central coast of California where she lives with her husband and the youngest of their five children.
“The process of painting takes me to a place where I join my deep need to create and my heartfelt intention to uplift the world around me.”
Artist statement
The process of painting takes me to a place where I join my deep need to create and my heartfelt intention to uplift the world around me. I’m led to my canvas by a fascination with nature because it gives me an undeniable sense that we are intimately seen by the creator. Multiple conversations begin in my heart, and in turn inspire metaphors for life. This translates into representational and abstract expression meant to convey how our daily lives are connected to something much greater than ourselves. Where hope, beauty and joy hold the greatest power.
The first layers are full of lighthearted freedom and exploration. Mark making, collage, and generous amounts of mixed media interweave as I decide to be intuitively led or begin a plan. In my final layers I end with oil paint to give my pieces greater depth and vibrancy. I’m captivated by the actual materials themselves and can get lost simply playing with them. I find it a bit magical how the different mediums respond and bring a vision to life on the canvas. They need my hand, but I can say nothing without them. This captivating relationship is at the core of my inspiration.
Through my work I hope to invite viewers to join me on a path of wonder, where we can filter our emotions and life experiences through the most uplifting lens possible.