Since the departure of summer's sunshine and vivid palette brightening the landscape and our spirits, winter's drab days and icy nights drag on. We all crave a jolt of color.
Coeur d'Alene artist Toby Keough's cheerful, floral-filled paintings can help cure those winter blues.
Her solo showcase "Flowers," a collection of vibrant acrylic paintings of beautiful blossoms, is on display for November at Terrain's cozy gallery on Monroe Street, just north of the downtown core.
Regardless of the season, though, Keough has a simple aim for her art: Make viewers smile as their eyes rove across each canvas.
"I just like doing stuff that I love, and that's colors and botanicals," she says. "And when I do that, I think it gets a good response. It makes people happy, and that makes me want to keep doing it."
While her latest collection is small in number — a little more than a dozen paintings total — Keough's canvases are not, nor are her floral subjects. Reminiscent of Georgia O'Keeffe's soft, zoomed-in depictions of poppies, morning glories and other blooms, Keough's imagery is accomplished via feathery brushstrokes and layered, gradient shading with fine, dark outlines around each petal or leaf.
The result is a decidedly two-dimensional yet delicate composition that's also reminiscent of pop art. Each flower is framed by a monochromatic background in a contrasting color: coral poppies set against a jewel-toned teal, bubblegum dogwood and ballerina pink peonies surrounded by shimmering gold leaf, a rainbow-hued tulip in a sea of inky black.
"I know a lot of people do grids, but I just start with chalk and I chalk out the flowers," Keough says about her process. "Usually I start with circles so they're not so wonky, and then from there, I'll draw with chalk and then come in with my colors and paint. I have a real problem with painting small — scale is really hard for me."
Which makes sense, because Keough began her artistic journey painting murals.
As a young stay-at-home mom to four kids, Keough, who's now 43, often challenged herself with DIY projects to customize the family's home on a budget. Painting murals, throwing elaborate, festive parties and other creative outlets were vital to balance motherhood with a sense of personal expression.
"I've been painting murals since, like, high school in my bedroom, and I did a ton of murals for my kids' bedrooms, so it just kind of came out of that," she says. "I did a lot of decorating, a lot of painting friends' houses, and a lot of other things, but it all still revolved around my family."
Years ago, when her children had gotten a little older, one of Keough's first DIY-projects-turned-professional outlets was selling reupholstered wingback armchairs she'd sourced from thrift stores. Using upcycled textiles and fabric remnants, she recovered the chairs in a funky, patchwork style, reselling them at local vintage shops and vendor shows like the Farm Chicks. While she doesn't produce them anymore, Keough's knack for creativity on a budget is a constant well of inspiration.
During the pandemic and while recovering from surgery, she more recently rediscovered her love for painting, transforming the family home once again.
"I had, I would say, 'cool girl style,' and I just painted everything white and really crisp and clean — and I loved it," she says. "But being indoors, you know, I wanted it to be bright and fun, so I just started painting a wall in every room in our house, and through that, I got such a response from people on Instagram and online. I've always loved painting, but I just never saw that necessarily as viable as a career."
This explosion of color and nature even caught the eye of Better Homes and Gardens' sister publication, Do It Yourself magazine, which ran a feature on Keough in its spring 2023 issue.
"I was really just experimenting on the walls of my house through COVID, with all different kinds of flowers and doing things that make me happy," she says. "From there, I really feel like I've gotten into a groove."
Now that three of their four kids have moved out, however, Keough and her husband sold that home (to their best friends, actually) and this summer built their custom dream home on the east side of Coeur d'Alene. It's also gradually filling with Keough's playful murals, like a psychedelic 1960s-inspired collage in the master bedroom with technicolor chrysanthemums across the walls and ceiling, and a giant rainbow-hued Chinese lion dog.
"I just love the feeling of, like, you're almost inside [the art], right? That's why I love murals," she says.
Keough also takes on commissions for private and public clients who want one of her murals to brighten their space. Locally, her art can be seen at three of Fern Plant Shop's locations and inside Terrain's From Here storefront at River Park Square.
While much of her past work has taken place either on or surrounded by the walls of her home, earlier this year Keough moved into an art studio in downtown Coeur d'Alene, on the second floor of a building at 103 S. Fourth St.
As a working studio, she says the space is currently pretty empty — all her latest pieces are now hanging at Terrain's gallery — but she hopes to eventually host public events there, like paint nights, open studio hours, classes and even parties.
To further immerse viewers in the art for her latest gallery showcase, Keough created one of her first three-dimensional pieces, a sculptural arch of anemone-like blossoms which visitors can take pictures with, sort of like a photo booth.
"I wanted a 3D flower, and then I was like 'No — I want everyone to be in it,'" Keough says. "So I painted a bunch of canvas and then paper mache-d and made these big flowers so people can be part of the art."
Another interactive piece, which Keough initially created in collaboration with local florist Katie Lila of Flowers for People, includes fortunes printed on narrow strips of paper that have been attached to its surface. Keough hopes to gift the massive, three-panel painting to a local coffee shop or cafe which has the space to display it publicly.
And in coordination with her own art, Keough — whose love of funky, expressive fashion is an extension of both her artwork and effervescent personality — painted her signature florals onto fabric which she then sewed into a custom skirt. She's lately gotten into upcycling fabric to make clothes that double as wearable art, like a pink-and-white-checked vintage wool blanket she turned into an oversized hoodie.
"This is why I really love art shows because I am like, 'Oh, I am going to dress crazy!' Like, I have so many ideas. It gives me an opportunity to become art. I feel like it's very good energy giving when you dress in bright colors — it opens people up." ♦
Toby Keough: Flowers • Through Nov. 24; open Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm • Free • Terrain Gallery • 628 N. Monroe St. • terrainspokane.com • instagram.com/tobyrae
