Created in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana, Toby Mercer’s art is new expression in visual reference to life’s experience.
After working for a decade in paint media, photography, ceramics, and jewelry, Toby created his own original 3 dimensional medium, the Stratagraphic. Paper Stratagraphics are original works using layers of cotton rag museum boards that are designed, cut, painted, and stacked entirely by hand in a process that carefully engineers the image one layer at a time in a lengthy meditative effort using only visualization and simple hand tools. The finished image is effected by direction of view and/or light source and shadow, with visual shifts giving them a kinetic aspect.
Toby’s purpose in his artistic expression lies within the single accomplishment of evoking personal response within a beholder, knowing that within that response lies the opportunity of a heightened experience, increasing the potential for personal observation, growth, and joy.
Toby’s inspirations for visual and musical artistic expression are found in active attentions focused on noticing the living experience sensually, psychically, and intellectually and relating those observations in images and melodic expression that seek to capture the beholder’s attention and elicit some personal response therein.
The effort in creating a piece is an effort of love and awareness, truly individual and dramatic, affording an individual presence to every completed work.
As of August 2024, 1389 original Paper Stratagraphic works completed, are found in corporate, public, and private collections worldwide. More than four decades of artistic endeavor have perfected Toby’s ability to share his perception of awareness, based in wonder and rooted in emotion, maintaining that art is the language of the heart!
