Melbourne’s streets the muse for Mitchell Toy’s first art exhibition

MELBOURNE is all the inspiration Herald Sun artist Mitchell Toy needs as he launches his first exhibition in honour of the city he calls home.

Herald Sun artist Mitchell Toy is inspired by Melbourne’s streets and landmarks. Picture: Rob Leeson

MELBOURNE is all the inspiration Mitchell Toy needs to spend every spare minute painting.

It is true his inspiration also stretches to the southeastern suburbs but it is central Melbourne where he often wanders, making new discoveries and also looking at familiar landmarks in new ways.

“It is challenging to take on some of the familiar landmarks because they can be seen as a cliche,” Toy says.

“But I don’t just want to paint a picture of a familiar building: I want to present landmarks in such a way that they feel more natural and will resurface memories for people.”

Toy grew up in the southeast and has been drawing and painting for as long as he can remember.

Mitchell Toy with his artwork. Picture: Rob Leeson

He has never had formal training but his natural talent sees him taking to a range of mediums, from painting, etching and drawing to cartoons which are often published in the Herald Sun.

“Drawing and painting is my natural state,” he says.

“When you have a passion for something like that you can’t understand why other people aren’t wanting to paint all the time as well.”

His first exhibition, Melbourne, features 25 water colour gouaches on board, some graphite pencil and some oils.

He began painting this series last September and spends every weekend at his easel.

He makes sketches of a building or scene that catches his eye while on location or takes photographs when it is too crowded for him to sketch and takes them home to interpret as paintings.

It is essentially the mood he tries to capture and has a particularly sensitive eye to rainy Melbourne days or lazy beach moments.

Even in busy scenes, his eye remains gentle and detailed.

“Some people may have sad memories of the rain but, for me, I like to paint the rain when I’m happiest because it has a cosy feeling,” he says.

“To me, the rain will always mean I’m in Melbourne, at home and it’s a comfort.”

Check out Mitchell Toy’s Melbourne at Fezilla Studio Gallery, Prahran until March 10.