Giant murals, Jones Snowboards, and intricate pieces of fine art are all part of Joseph Toney's repertoire. Nick Kalisz Photo.
In many ways, artist Joseph Toney had done what he set out to do. His goal going into college was to become one of the lucky few creating artwork for skis. Thanks to a unique eye and finesse for detail, it didn’t take long for his dream to come into fruition. Following graduation, he walked away with a diploma and job offer from Armada Skis. Leaving the mountains he loved, he packed his bags for Costa Mesa, California and embarked on a new chapter as a designer for the brand. For the next five years, Toney created ski top sheets, worked with world-renowned artists across the globe, and honed his craft in Armada’s office art studio. But eventually, Toney found himself at a crossroads. Now that he’d achieved this goal so quickly, he couldn’t help but wonder what was next.
RELATED: See Toney’s Work in Action on Our Snow Goggles
During his busy tenure at Armada, Toney dedicated much of his free time to ongoing freelance creative work. He toiled on intricate paintings that depicted alternative realities of the natural world. He turned office walls into canvases that came to life with roaring grizzly bears and towering peaks. When the juggle became an impossible balancing act, it got Toney thinking. What if instead of making artwork for skis, he started making art for himself and the many people who were eager to commission him? Curious, Toney went for it.
We’ve been a big fan of Toney’s ever since his days here as a TGR intern. He’s created everything from poster art for some of our most iconic films to the goggle strap design of the brand new Uprising and Further goggles. We caught up with him to learn more about this next chapter in his career and the process behind his work. Here’s what he had to say:
See more of Toney's work here.
Can you start with your background?
Joseph Toney: I went to art school focusing on graphic design as my major with a smaller focus on painting. The goal was to do design work focused within the outdoor industry.
My sophomore year I interned at TGR, which was during a break from college I took to intern and work for the company. I spent six months interning and six months actually getting paid. Then I went back to school and finished. When I was at TGR I had very little experience and Todd and Steve were more than willing to give me the chance to work on huge projects.
There wasn’t a design department at the time. I was just the intern who could do it. At one point I somehow lucked out with my own office as an intern. Some work highlights included creative direction for Further and poster design for Further, Higher, and Dream Factory.
Toney's latest collaboration with TGR was designing the strap for our goggles. Joseph Toney photo.
Prior to TGR, did you always have this goal to do design work for the outdoor industry?
JT: Yeah I think since high school I was aware that I enjoyed making art and designing, and this was on top of being a ski fanatic. It was just the ultimate dream to be creating artwork for skis. Back then I didn’t see much potential in making money from painting, whereas it was very easy to see more of a career as a graphic designer. Even my parents pushed me to go to school for graphic design instead of just fine art.
I bet it helps to have that design background, would you agree?
JT: I think it’s given me a huge leg up as an artist. Particularly when I’m trying to write grants for project funding. I’ve gotten a few, and it’s helped to know what a presentation should look like and how to present my ideas. I couldn’t have gotten that knowledge from just painting.
It takes just as much as being a business person as it is to be an artist or designer.
Toney shows off his latest Jones Snowboard collaboration. Mike Thurk photo.
Could you talk a bit more about your design role at Armada?
JT: When I started at the company there were only two people there working on graphics. There was the art director and me as a junior designer. I took that job right out of college and moved to California. The art director had a really unique perspective on creativity and encouraged exploration and freedom. The office had this 800-square-foot studio we could use, which basically sealed the deal for me to move to the beach. After five years there, I realized it was time to make new goals and new dreams—like being a full-time artist. The great thing is Armada has supported me along the way.
Plus as a brand in the ski industry, Armada works with more artists than anyone else I could think of. Having that ability to talk and work with everyone from renowned street artists to fine artists while I was there was really unique too.
Looking back, did that design role feel like a great stepping stone for where you are today?
JT: For sure, I was allowed to be super creative and work on projects I loved working on. I made art for skis or worked with other artists. I think a lot of artists juggle two jobs and try to make art on the side. They don’t have the financial stability to make what they want to make. I had a job that was paying me well and that gave me the chance to really delve into art as much as I wanted to on the side.
Ultimately what pushed me to leave was the fact I was missing opportunities with my art. I realized that if I was getting asked to paint not design work, and I couldn’t do it because of this full-time job, then it was time to jump into it. Mind you, I had relationships set up with a gallery that was selling my work and discovered ways to generate an income. It wasn’t a complete leap of faith. I was prepared. I essentially worked two jobs for a year straight—70-80 hours a week—so I could eventually go and do my own thing.
Toney's studio space. Joseph Toney photo.
Does painting sustain the majority of your work now?
JT: It’s for sure my main thing now. When I quit my job at Armada last January I thought the first year of freelance would be 50% art and 50% design work. It turned out to be 70% paintings and murals and 30% design work. It’s what I’ve always wanted, but not something I expected to be happening so fast. I can’t believe it’s happening half the time.
When it comes to your artwork, it has a very distinctive style. What inspired this?
JT: It started with these two sketches in my notebook when I was working at TGR. Jeremy Jones came by to talk about movie art and saw them and wanted to do a t-shirt with mountains in a similar style. That was the first time I started drawing the way that I do now. From that point on it’s spun into boards for Jeremy. Then I started doing it not on paper, but on these big paintings. As it’s developed it’s become more abstract studies of real places.
Toney's fine art dances the line between abstract and realistic. Joseph Toney photo.
There’s a unique dimensionality to your artwork. What compels you to create these incredibly layered realities?
JT: I love this idea of being a loose abstract painter. From that goal, I have this loose style, which gives me an opportunity for chances—particularly the backgrounds in these pieces. It’s just a process I try not to control.
With the detail work, I tend to let different tools dictate the marks I’m making. My tool kit includes a lot of drafting tools—compasses, french curves, rulers—and every mark I make is controlled by what those tools can do. So it’s not much hand-drawn, but a lot of tracing on a curve. I think by sticking to that set of rules abstracts things in a way that I can’t plan. It pretty much happens naturally. I wonder if it comes from the digital side of me, where I’m using the tools in Photoshop to create things. But with these pieces, I don’t let the forms go completely abstract. I want people to be able to recognize a ridgeline or waterfall, and if not they can just enjoy it for what it is.
As a result, your work dances this fine line between abstract and realistic.
JT: Originally my pieces were too abstract and flat. I worked for a few years to try and find ways to add depth but not lose the abstraction that I really enjoyed. Part of that came from doing more realistic light studies of mountains. That required finding the proper source imagery which had the subject lit at a time of day that really showcased the depth I wanted. Sometimes I’ll even go on Google Earth and pick the time of day I want and cast shadows that way. Google Earth is really a tool for everything. I originally used it to find lines to ski, but I realized I could use it as a way to get a feel for an area that I’ve never been to—that way I could paint it for a commission.
In addition to your fine art, your work is often featured in collabs—like the goggle strap you did for TGR. What excites you about collaborating with different brands?
JT: Collabs really provide a reason to be making things, not just a financial reason, but a creative one too. It’s nice knowing that I have support to jump into something. Doing a Jones snowboard was a huge eye-opener for me. Just having my art on a product that’s in 40 countries across the world when I was 21 really blew my mind. Having that opportunity so early on showed the potential to keep seeking these projects out. Another favorite of mine was this big mural I did with Armada and Evo in Denver. It was really humbling to have those two brands to back me to paint something huge on a building—even though I had relatively no experience prior to that moment. They provided me with all the right tools to create something unique.
The original artwork used for the TGR Goggle Strap. Joseph Toney art.
What was the inspiration behind the TGR goggle strap you created?
The goggle strap was a pretty unique project for me. The smaller linear format called for me to simplify my aesthetic a bit and allowed me the freedom to be a little more playful with the design.
The end result is a bit of a trippy starlit nightscape inspired by the high alpine lakes of the Tetons.
About The Author
stash member Katie Lozancich
TGR Staff Writer and photographer. Fond of bikes, pow, and dogs. Originally from Northern CA, home for me has ranged from the PNW to a teepee in Grand Teton National Park.