Toby Hollinghead

Toby Hollinghead was born in 1953 in McKenzie Alabama. When she was two years old she had an accident that left her blind in her right eye. Toby grew up working in cotton and tobacco fields. There were hard times growing up, but joyous times as well, with a family who loved each other and stayed together through it all. When Toby was ten, she moved to Deerland, Florida and lived in a house they built themselves. They raised hogs and had a modest living from planting food crops, picking blue berries, and fishing in Shoal River. It was a constant struggle to have enough food for the family. Living so far back in the woods with no neighbors, Toby played guitar and sang at church, as it was her only means of socialization. When Toby was seventeen she married a local boy from Crestview and had two daughters, Karen and Raven. This marriage ended in divorce. In 1980, Toby met and married the man of her dreams and moved her family to Opp, Alabama. After the children were grown, Toby's daughter gave her a paint set for Christmas. Raven had watched her mother sketch and draw pictures for years and she thought she might like to paint them. That's when it started. The paint set unlocked a passion she did not know was there. She started painting and hasn't stopped yet. It's like music to me, the colors have rhythm and flow, and can evoke tears and laughter. When I approach the canvas the paint and brush take over and move as of its own accord to create an emotion and an event I sometimes didn't know was there. God has blessed me by giving me this special gift of joy, and I hope to share it with others.