Tobey is known for his religious paintings. His creative diversity spanned nearly all aspects of culture, including religious representations and iconography. He studied at Yale School of Fine Arts, from where he obtained both his B.F.A. and M.F.A. After his graduation, he taught at Yale School of Fine Arts and at City College, New York City. He was a member of Metropolitan Arts Association, American Society of Contemporary Artists, Fine Arts Federation, League of Present Day Artists, Abraxis, and Connecticut Academy of Art. His name also appeared under Who Was Who in American Art. His intense devotion to art took him on a lifetime journey spanning over 60 years, and on stylistic artistic adventures that encompassed centuries of art. He began this artistic journey when he was a young boy of only 3 years of age.
He became an artist by bugging his mother. His art career began in the kitchen. His mother wanted to keep him busy while she was cooking, so she gave him some pencils and paper to use on the floor under the kitchen table. That was in 1917 in Middletown, Connecticut. Little did his mother know that with the paper and the pencils in this “kitchen studio”, she had set Tobey upon a life path that would lead to his becoming one of the most diversified and prolific artists of the 20th century. However, her mother soon took note that there was something exceptional happening with his son; and she began encouraging him. His mother was very supportive and played a big role in shaping his career as an artist.
