Blackberries

Art for the day

Toby Christian Blackberries 2010

Painted polystyrene

The first piece of real art* I ever bought was from Toby Christian. He had a work that was a collection of prints and my brother happened to be in the UK for a play he was doing for Fringe Festival and I sent him to London with money to collect it and the high of making those logistics work, getting this little print that I still have on my wall, is something I chase. The finagling and the new to me international aspects, it must have been 15+ years ago. Christian was one of the first younger artists I had found on what felt like my own, and I developed a knowledge of him outside of work or a gallery or anything other than my own research and mid 00’s internet access and passion. I can still remember how proud I was of finding him, his work, getting the courage up to reach out and have it work out in the end. It was really formative in how I have approached the art world ever since.

*I know, what even is that, but that is how it felt.