Toasty Tuna
HH: Tell us a bit about who you are, where you grew up, and your backgorund as a wood cutter and illustrator!
Toasty: My name officially is Kaleb, but I sign up for everything under my artist name Toasty Tuna. I've lived a lot of different lives, and sticking to my identity in this way helps me unify with it better. Plus, I'm really stoked on the name. I grew up in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere Georgia, and lived my childhood on a small family farm. I think this is where I got a lot of my DIY tendencies from. My mom was a crafty person, and she always had tons of projects she was working on with random sticks and ropes she would find laying around our barns. My dad constantly had side hustle after side hustle on top of working a full-time job, which is where I attribute any work ethic I might have. I started drawing very young after watching my mom copy illustrations out of the local papers comic section. I realized early that style was important and the key way for people to identify you with your makings. The wood cutting is something I stumbled into after a few years of sticker making. I wanted something in the same format but larger and easier to display on a wall. My woodcutouts are very similar to my stickers—a character or object with not much going on in the background. I've always enjoyed weirdo cartoons, and I've definitely borrowed from those early memories of being glued to a tube TV screen (probably why I wear glasses now).
Q: How has Appalachia as a region and culture impacted your creative process?
A: I've lived in Western Carolina for the past 13–14 years. I originally moved to Boone, NC, in my early 20s with not much going on. When everyone started moving away, I found myself stuck here. I'm endlessly inspired by the area and not just the beauty of it, but the rural obscurity you can find in the middle of nowhere here. You may stumble upon a town whose entire economy seems to be stemming from a small rock and mineral store. The next town over might have a walnut tree with 200 mugs nailed to the side of it. A simple point A-to-point B drive can expose you to the creativity and resourcefulness of the area. Growing up the way I did, I am endlessly attracted to the outsider and low-brow art made by someone who just has a drive to make no matter what.
Q: Where did your love for carving originate and how has it evolved since you've started?
A: As I touched on briefly earlier, my wooden work seemed like a natural progression from sticker making. If you think about it, they really are just giant stickers for your wall space. Another thing that inspired me is creating work that fits in those in between spaces. A space that's not wide enough for traditional art might happily host a coiled-up severed leg with a flower sticking out the top of it. Also undeniably the thing that got me thinking in this lane is the old wooden art and toys you see in thrift stores. I love seeing a garden or the side of a barn just absolutely littered with old and weathered wooden art. A true goal of mine is to see something of mine in a thrift or vintage store one day. I don't know if we live long enough to be vintage, but baggy pants are back, so I might get the chance.
Q: Give us a sneak peak of what you'll be bringing with you this Saturday to your pop up!
A: In addition to my usual wall art I'm really pumped on some of the toys I've been making recently. I'll be bringing a set of wall art I created that's interactive and functionally a toy for your wall. Ideas like that are the ones that keep me excited about making and looking forward to spending time in my studio.