Toby Keough
Inspired by the detail and life she finds in botanicals, Toby has been creating murals for years, starting in her home doing paintings for her four children.
“I start by sketching with chalk, because it’s very forgiving. I’ll create the size that I’m wanting and the flow of where I want your eyes to travel,” says Toby. Recently, we were lucky enough to have Toby bring some space to life at the DOMA Coffee Lab expansion with a tropical-themed mural reminiscent of areas where coffee grows. “When painting, I just feel like the life in plants can draw so much creativity and depth.”
While she started by painting in home, Toby says she’s now at a stage in her life where she’s obsessed with creating. And she’s gotten noticed (she was recently featured in Better Homes & Gardens magazine). She still experiences the same vulnerability and occasional self doubt that many artists are familiar with, but her driving force is to make people excited, happy, and put a smile on their face.
“There’s something about bringing community and people together that I so love—what a cup of coffee can do, what a mural can do. A space that’s created is like bringing a conversation,” says Toby.
One of her most rewarding mural projects has been at the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, a place where people can bring their children for respite or a chance to pivot from issues like domestic violence. Toby chose a mural inspired by a real-life encounter of wildflowers growing in a sidewalk, picking out the metaphorical connection for those children to bloom in their life no matter where they’ve been planted. “It was just so great to be able to put that in that space and have somewhere children can smile and feel safe and also reflect the beauty in their lives,” says Toby.
Toby has been connected to DOMA throughout the years as a local artist in Coeur d’Alene, buying DOMA coffee for her home and visiting the Coffee Lab for the coffee education and friendly faces. She says it has been exciting to brew the different flavors and depths of DOMA coffee at her home.
“There’s something about bringing community and people together that I so love—what a cup of coffee can do, what a mural can do. A space that’s created is like bringing a conversation,” says Toby.
For this reason, Toby keeps painting and encouraging other artists. “I just say just do it. It’s just paint. It’s just art. And if it doesn’t work, just paint over it.”
Find more of Toby’s work on our upcoming Rite of Spring coffee label!
About The Series
A good day starts with DOMA coffee. For the past year, we've followed cool humans and the things they do after their morning cup of DOMA Coffee. Turns out, humans are awesome. Especially after caffeine.
Stay tuned as we continue to release their stories.
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