We were lucky to catch up with Anna Toberman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Some of my portrait commissions are for families who want to capture special events and create heirlooms for their children or grandchildren. A few years ago, an elderly man asked me to draw a portrait of his wife as she had looked on the day of their wedding nearly 50 years before. He gave me a photo album full of pictures from that day, and we selected one that was the best reference to show her beautiful face. The result was a charcoal drawing that he enjoyed so much that he asked for a matching portrait of himself from that time, adapted from another wedding picture. It was a lot of fun to immerse myself in the fashion styles of the ’70s for this project! The two portraits now hang side by side in their home, where their grandchildren can see and appreciate them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I always loved to draw, especially faces, and I trained to be a fine artist, earning a BFA at the University of Missouri. Realizing that income from a fine art career could be unpredictable, I also earned a journalism degree. I combined my disciplines and worked for many years as a graphic designer and art director. On evenings and weekends I continued to take art classes and enjoyed working from life models as much as possible, to learn about anatomy in three dimensions, the way light behaves and how to achieve color effects. With more experience and practice, I became confident enough to become a portrait artist and accept commissions. I work in oil paint, charcoal, pastels and mixed media, both from life and photos. Some of my non-commissioned art works are simply subjects that interest me — they’re people with expressive faces or an intriguing life story. I am most satisfied and proudest of portraits that people want to keep as family heirlooms. They will live on for decades.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love being able to capture a likeness that is true to life with the feeling that there could be a living, breathing person inside the portrait. But also I want to illuminate an inner truth that others can connect with, whether it’s today or a hundred years from now.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a student, I learned how to paint from teachers who had learned how to paint from older teachers of the previous generation. Some materials and techniques that were common many years ago have better alternatives today. When I developed a sensitivity to solvents, I needed to figure out different methods for many things that solvents were used in, like starting a painting and cleaning up afterward. Even odorless mineral spirits that are relatively safe were bothering me with problems like headaches and sore throats. Spray fixatives and spray retouch varnish were also making me sick, in spite of good ventilation. So I read about other artists who had encountered the same health issues and learned about better materials choices. I experimented with their suggestions and found healthier methods that work for my process.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artistatoberman.com
• Instagram: artistatoberman
• Facebook: Anna Toberman Fine Art