She has been selected for several juried art exhibitions at: The Morris Museum – New Jersey’s only Smithsonian Affiliate, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (solo exhibition), Newark Arts Festival (2021, 2019 & 2018), East Orange City Hall, West Orange Arts Council, Studio Montclair, Bloomfield Civic Center, Manufacturers’ Artist Village, Art in the Atrium, Inc., The Bridge Art Gallery, and i19 Gallery (an exhibition of international artists). As an avid collector of imported textiles, Denise has been invited to offer her contributions to several artists’ talks and panel discussions. She is in five publications: “On the Easel” – where artists share their works in progress, Bella Magazine, “The God-S Movement Coloring Journal” by Artist Yvonne Onque, and “SheEO’s Rock! – 99 Tips to Transform Your Business Today” as a contributing author who appears on the book’s front
cover, and an excerpt from her quilt is published on the back cover of The Morris Museum’s catalog. Denise is an awardee of Art in the Atrium, Inc.’s Black Artist Resilience grant.
Denise Toney: Behold in Textiles
The Mediums
My window exhibition is a showcase of fiber art: traditional quilting, patchwork, appliqué, and fabric collage featuring imported textiles. I LOVE color, and I have a penchant for bodacious prints. Earth tones, which are reminiscent of the colors that I grew up with within my home, dominate my art.
The Processes
I feel like the fabrics I carefully curate are works of art within themselves and I am like an alchemist of sorts who mixes and merges them together, thereby creating an altogether new piece of fabric to play with. Knowing when to flex and when to use restraint is a constant dance I do with my fabrics in my studio. All of my arrangements are extremely calculated. I take painstaking care to make sure that the prints, design scales, and textures of the fabrics complement one another or contrast when more appropriate. Sometimes I “paint” with the medium of fabric
like a painter paints with his or her paints. Sometimes my sewing machines are my tools of choice, and sometimes I combine both techniques into one mixed media piece.
The Fabrics
Many of my fabrics really are imported from African marketplaces – from mudcloth by way of Mali to kente that hails from Ghana to ankara from Nigeria to khorogo from the Ivory Coast – in addition to some Aboriginal, Dutch, and Chinese textiles. As an avid collector of fabric for decades, many of the fabrics that I use have an ancient and sometimes royal history to them. Most of my Pieces contain vintage, limited-edition fabrics that are no longer easily available today. While it is heartbreaking to see some go, new fabrics come out every day, which fuels my excitement afresh about creating my artwork. Much of my artwork features a focal point that pays tribute to some uplifting concepts about African life and traditions, and so the viewer will see symbols that contain deeper meanings such as ankhs and other Egyptian symbols, the Sankofa bird and other Adinkra symbols that are interspersed all throughout West Africa where many Africans in the Diaspora descend.
My Canvases
I tend to create on unconventional canvases although I also create wall art. I love the element of surprise that creating art on unconventional canvases evoke. I strive to create pieces that people would love to have in their spaces and even on themselves as I also extend what I do into wearable art. I believe that our whole styles of living can be works of art if we make it so. For me, it is very much that way, and I invite you to “listen to my song” through my window exhibition here at Studio Montclair.
My Background
Mandatory electives like art, sewing, and wood shop became classes that I took on my own volition. In high school, I was the only girl who willfully signed up for wood shop. Those teachings are still carrying me today which is why as a former youth / young adult educator, I made sure to incorporate some art whenever and wherever I could with the hope of reaching students who might have had artistic desires, but not so much the opportunities. We do not choose what zip codes where we happen to be born, raised, or schooled. In underserved communities, art classes are often the first to be defunded, but, as an artist, I staunchly believe budding artists absolutely deserve equal opportunity to reach their highest potential no matter what. Prior to the pandemic, I have also taught sewing classes within my own studio, and I have been invited to contribute to artists’ talks and panel discussions.
Contact Information: To view more of my artwork, please visit www.DeniseToneyDesigns.com, @denisetoneydesigns on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok.
