Inside the Artist's Studio: An Interview with Tobias Tovera

Tobias Tovera is a Northern California native artist featured in the Happy Show at JCO'S Place. Tobias is interested in discovering transmuted spaces, places where energy shifts, changes, or renews itself.  He explores dichotomies such as mature and artifice, chaos and order, and spirituality and technology in his pieces. His work merges these distinctions by creating paradoxical conjunctions of opposites, and in doing so, questions the nature of intuitive and process based strategies. Tobias stages performances of his work, setting layer upon layer of pigment or chemical solution, and lets the formal shape and material application be determined by the movement of the medium and its successive layers. 

What is one thing you cannot create your work without?
I cannot create my work without courage and vision. 

Explain this "Third Space" that you create with your work.
The 'third space' is the space between two binaries. It is the 'glue' or substrate that allows one form to transmute into the next. With my studio practice I create environments that foments movement and alchemy; both of which require being in the moment from a material and a metaphysical perspective. 

What is one thing you cannot create your work without?
I cannot create my work without courage and vision. 

Explain this "Third Space" that you create with your work.
The 'third space' is the space between two binaries. It is the 'glue' or substrate that allows one form to transmute into the next. With my studio practice I create environments that foments movement and alchemy; both of which require being in the moment from a material and a metaphysical perspective. 
From conception to finished product, typically how long does a piece take you?
Depending on the environment and the amount of layers a finished piece may take up to six months to complete. 

Do you find that you have an emotional connection to your pieces, or is it a fairly apathetic process?
An emotional connection: in that the works create a sense of happiness and peace, though in terms of process the works are Meditative.

What or who is your muse?
Relationships. I love that which opposes yet propels me. 

If you could create a new color, what would it's name be?
Solora: a color caused by a magnetic collision of charged particles. 

How would you recommend that someone cultivate their creativity in the beginning of their career?
I recommend meditation, set clear intentions and remain open to experimentation.

What is your "go to" karaoke song?
It's between 'Under the Bridge,' Red Hot Chili Peppers and 'South Side,' Moby.