Toru Oba
Toru Oba (born 1945) is an American stone sculptor. He is an instructor of stone masonry and creator of landscape features and monumental sculptural structures.
Early life
[edit]Oba was born in 1945 in Minazawa, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.[1] He was born into a family of traditional landowners and artists, and grew up in the mountains of rural Yamagata.[1] He completed his early schooling in Yamagata and later finished his education in Tokyo.[1]
In 1969, Oba moved to La Roque-sur-Cèze, France. He apprenticed with French stonemasons working on the 11th century stone village.[citation needed] He lived in France with his wife and daughter until 1972.[1] Then he moved to rural West Virginia, United States, where he created Japanese style gardens, Russian, Finnish and Rumford style fireplaces.[1]
Career
[edit]In 1984, Oba became an instructor of a stone masonry workshop at the Lama Foundation in Taos, New Mexico.[1] Oba subsequently became a founding member of the Stone Foundation, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[2]
In 1985, Oba moved with his wife and two daughters to central Virginia.[1] Toru's work evolved towards landscape features and monumental sculptural structures such as Japanese style lakes, waterfalls, massive sculpted stone benches, tables, and freestanding contemporary sculpture. "Toru's stone work is always art".[3] Oba's style is "rough surfaces juxtaposed against smooth ones, wide-open spaces, and nature-like arrangements– betrays a very Japanese aesthetic".[4]
Oba has six monumental sculptures prominently displayed in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia at the McGuffey Art Center.[5] Oba's work is on display at the Brad Smith Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[6] In 2017, Purdue University installed a fountain created by Oba named "Baransu (Balance) Fountain" at the de Bedout Piazza.[7]
Filmography
[edit]- Oba, Toru (April 2016). "Toru Oba". Charlottesville Inside-Out. PBS.[8]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "About Toru". toruoba.com. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- ↑ "About the Stone Foundation". The Stone Foundation. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- ↑ McRaven, Charles (1997). Techniques and Projects. Storey Communication. p. 128. ISBN 0882669761.
- ↑ Steinberg, Aaron (May 15, 2003). "Stone Man: Toru Oba Rocks". The Hook. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021.
- ↑ Fulk, Sande Snead (April 12, 1998). "Triple Your Garden Pleasure; Three Tours Ready In Albermarle County/Charlottesville Area". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
- ↑ "Toru Oba – About the Artist". Brad Smith Gallery. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Baransu (Balance) Fountain". The Purdue Arboretum. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Toru Oba". PBS Charlottesville Inside-Out. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
Further reading
[edit]- McRaven, Charles (2007). Stone Primer. Storey Publishing. pp. 136–137.
- Ifeng Space Huanan (2012). Stone Features in Garden Design. Phoenix Publishing. ISBN 978-988-15903-7-4.