Lord Toph is developing, expressing and presenting his fine art style called “Empathicism.” Works of this style are intended to evoke the viewer’s emotions empathically from the painting’s subject matter, color, size, title and application of stroke. "I began to truly know that I could develop “Empathicism” into a style when I realized how clear it was to not only demonstrate, but to expound upon it in theory also."
From the preschool years, many may still remember their teacher telling them in art class, “Just paint what you feel.” Lord Toph makes it a point to do just that, especially in a time where many artists feel the need to stay inside the lines by making it look like the picture they are rendering from, so that it’s all nice and glossy. "I believe this movement has been highly influenced by an overload of social media and the need for 'likes' and 'comments'."
Lord Toph chooses to veer away from the outer gratification in order to pay more attention to the visceral, empathy. Feel first and see second, that is how he believes intuitive thinking works. So, this is how he approaches his work and follows this guide until the work is brought into fruition.
His work is influenced by a variety of elements. "I feel fortunate to be able to say that my influences are incommensurable. One minute I am thinking about the roaring motor of the car that actually just passed, the next second a thought pops up of a former companion I’ve not seen in years and then, this might remind me of an unfinished sketch I did of her and I immediately think, What an excellent painting that would make now! It’s completely all over the place, yet in a good way. Somehow, I am able to quell it and channel its concepts into my work and this I believe, will be my ongoing process throughout."
As the co-founder and CEO of Monté CrisToph Multimedia, Lord Toph aims to deliver the company's tagline, A Realm of Concept, Sight & Sound. Monté CrisToph encompasses, art, music & literature. Although the majority of the material within Monté CrisToph has been created by himself, there are however other talented artists (visual artists, photographers, musicians and poets) which he haseither developed, collaborated with, arranged and produced for as well as published their works.
He acknowledges the influence visual art is making on his music. "It always has and always will influence the way I produce music. Before I could play any instrument or could compose music without the help of a more educated musician, I would have to either hum the melody to the musician until he or she could through improvisation, translate my idea. There were often times when I found myself describing a mental scene or pictures to them after they became accustomed to working with me. It had to have been horrendously frustrating for many musicians to only have this method to go on, without written music but at the time, that was the best I could do to translate my ideas. Years later and playing my own instruments now, I still prescribe to 'seeing scenes or pictures' to translate sound from melody, to compositions and thankfully, I feel all the more creative for it."
Based in New York, Lord Toph participates in the local creative culture and appreciated the variety it offers. "I am usually in the Soho area, Greenwich or maybe Chelsea. What I seem to observe on a constant, is the very thing that made me fall in love with this city from the very start… And that is diversity – Loads of it! Provocative, compelling, beautiful, political, banal, futuristic, kitsch, revolting, minimal, innovative… All of this resides in the New York art scene; yet as a whole, it is outstanding to see.
The beauty about New York City as well as its art scene, is what makes this city like no other. Creative people flock from all over the world to NYC, bringing with them their artistic wares along with their dreams and inspiration in hopes to make some sort of mark or impact. Whether or not they are able to attain notoriety or any sense of celebrity with their talent and skill becomes secondary to the main attribute that they unconsciously contribute to New York City’s ever-changing art scene. They, like millions of others before them, have contributed their own history, culture, passion and journey. With this constant ebb and flow of energy, the future of New York’s art scene will limitlessly intrigue."
Lord Toph is currently working on a new series of Empathicism and is producing his 7th music album to be released in May 2020, entitled Nacreous. He is also about to publish a children's book accompanied by an audio book and music album.