Lake at Mibanbah

Painted en plein air at Mibanbah on the Northern NSW coast, this work captures a bright coastal waterway and the lone leaning tree that anchors the foreground. Quick, expressive brushstrokes record shifting light and breeze across the water, with rich earth tones in the grasses contrasting against clear turquoise reflections and a layered blue horizon. The sky carries sweeping clouds and soft movement, giving the scene an open, coastal atmosphere.

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Toby is an Australian painter. Working primarily in oil, he blends the luminosity and atmospheric depth of Australian Impressionism with contemporary figurative fragments to explore place, identity, and the emotional residue of history. His paintings often draw from the light-scorched coasts and hinterlands of Queensland, inflected with subtle echoes of European modernism and classical forms.

Toby holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Queensland, where his research focused on Australian modernism and the avant-garde magazine Angry Penguins. His academic background informs his visual practice, bringing a deep awareness of art-historical lineage, narrative, and the psychological charge of images. Alongside painting, he lectures in art history and theory at university and collaborates with leading contemporary artists on installation and artwork creation.

His paintings are held in private collections across Australia, and his practice extends across studio painting, archival research, and collaborative contemporary projects.