Background
Toru grew up in the mountains of rural Yamagata.
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Toru Oba
Edit ProfileEducation
He completed his early schooling in Yamagata and later finished his education in Tokyo. He apprenticed with French stonemasons working on the 11th century stone village.
Career
He has lived in Russia and France. In 1969, Oba moved to Louisiana Roque-sur-Cèze, France. Then he moved to rural West Virginia, United States, where he created Japanese style gardens, Russian, Finnish and Rumford style fireplaces.
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". Oba"s style is "rough surfaces juxtaposed against smooth ones, wide-open spaces, and nature-like arrangements– betrays a very Japanese aesthetic".
Currently Oba has six monumental sculptures prominently displayed in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia at the McGuffey Art Center and has worked at 531 North. First Street in the same town. Oba"s work is on display at the Brad Smith Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico and in private collections around the world.
Membership
Oba subsequently became a founding member of the "The Stone Foundation" based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
