Joshua Tobey is a highly-acclaimed, wildlife sculptor, who lives in Loveland, Colorado with his wife Josephine, who oversees production and management of Joshua Tobey Studios. The personalities and anthropomorphic traits in the faces and figures of his wildlife sculptures make them distinctive.
Josh grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the son of renowned ceramic and bronze sculptors Gene and Rebecca Tobey. Josh began sculpting in clay and casting in bronze at the age of six. "My childhood was full of gallery shows and art foundries. Many of the people I grew up around are today’s most established western artists". By ten years old, Josh was helping his father in the studio drilling marble bases for sculpture, working ceramic molds and polishing jewelry.
After receiving a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, Josh returned home to apprentice his father and step-mother where he began enlarging their sculpture for monument commissions. During this time, he began working on his own professional body of work.
At 35 years old, he is well established in the Western art world, creating bronze sculptures of wildlife featuring a contemporary patina. Renowned for this patina work, Josh combines his love of art and his lifelong passion for the outdoors in his bronze sculpture. Sometimes called whimsical, Josh’s work also has a serious side; it depicts the "interdependence of wildlife and humanity" by revealing aspects of human emotion, experience and culture through wildlife sculpture. His work ranges in size from miniature to monumental.
Josh’s work has been featured in several national magazines, including the cover artist for Wildlife Art. He was honored in 2012 as the poster artist for the Loveland Sculpture Invitational. Josh has also participated in several museum exhibits and events across the country including: Wheel Wright Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota; National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming for the third consecutive year; The Governors Invitational in Loveland, Co. His work has been on display at the Booth Western Art Museum as part of an exhibit, titled "21st Century Regionalist: Art of the New West" and has become a part of the permanent collection. 2013 will be the second year he has been invited to the Small Works Great Wonders Show at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
Most recently, Tobey was invited to the Collectors’ Reserve Show at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Other honors include Three major works in the collection of Raymond James Financial art collection. Public Works in the collections of Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park in Kauai, HI. Two monuments at his alma mater Western state University, Gunnison, Co; Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Co; Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, Az.
Josh became an elected member of the National Sculpture Society in 2012 and currently serves as a board member of the Artist Charitable Fund, a nonprofit organization.
