Debi Tonge - United Kingdom
About the artist
Member since 2006-04-12
Debi Tonge’s Artist Biography
After college completion of her BA honors degree in illustration Tonge gained valuable experience in the commercial world of art. She thrived from the pressures of tight deadlines and expanding other’s ideas through years of commissioned work. However, creative constraints of the industry pushed her toward the creativity and freedom of the fine arts.
Travel and cultural diversity fascinate Tonge and she draws an incredible source of inspiration from her travel experiences. Immersing oneself in a culture that is distinctly unfamiliar to a western upbringing she discovers new and fascinating perspectives on life. She captures her subjects with a sense of immediacy, as if they are a snapshot of daily life.
Tonge has gained some valuable insights into aspects of global culture – gradual merging of cultural ideals and how they are affecting the balance of traditional values. To help keep her senses vibrant and alive when rendering later projects she often refers to her written and visual diary that was created during her journeys.
In California she started to discover the wonders of the vast, sweeping American landscape. As a result of road trips to the high desert in the Eastern Sierra Nevada and other states such as Utah, Arizona, Montana, and Colorado, Debi developed a fascination with the rusting vintage motors found abandoned along road sides.
Tonge’s most recent series depicts calm and powerful images of American classic vehicles that stand weathered and broken. The onlooker sees deteriorating statues that portray dramatic representations of America’s past still surviving today, objects of function yet possessions of pride that evoke stories of nostalgia.
Tonges rusting vintage vehicals are bathed often drenched in natural light. dramatic contast of shadows and shafts of sun sculpt objects they fall across. Beams penetrate their way through back ground foliage and expand across fields and junk yards. The warn down metals reflect the warmth of the day and sunrays bounce off the multitude of colors found in rusting metals.
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Debi Tonge Artist Statement – figurative
Travel and cultural diversity fascinate me and I draw an incredible source of inspiration from my travel experiences. Submersing oneself in a seemingly alien culture is my research laboratory that gives me deep motivation.
I am attracted to strong features or a warm smile or glance, perhaps across a crowded market place. I try to address and transform the notions of beauty, such as beauty displayed as in strength of character. I am constantly searching for ways to speak an element of the truth, and I believe it is important to incorporate each fragile and beautiful laughter wrinkle that frames smiling eyes.
I hope to evoke intrigue and wonder from my audience, by recreating the raw realness through my subjects glance or confronting stare. My attempts are to capture my character with a sense of immediacy to create a snapshot of daily life- a fleeting moment in time. My goal is to allow the audience to be creative with their perception of that person’s character.
The every day illuminates my imagination with painting potentials … if only I could paint every face and every character that fascinates me – I’d have to live forever.
Tonges rusting vintage vehicals are bathed often drenched in natural light. dramatic contast of shadows and shafts of sun sculpt objects they fall across. Beams penetrate their way through back ground foliage and expand across fields and junk yards. The warn down metals reflect the warmth of the day and sunrays bounce off the multitude of colors found in rusting metals.
