Some artists paint in prose, some paint in poetry. Some artists paint facts, some paint metaphor. Some artists paint light and shade, some paint luminosity. Some artists paint space, some paint atmosphere. Some artists design, some compose. Some artists paint tones, some paint color. Some artists paint what they see, some paint what they perceive. Some paintings speak, some sing. Some artists paint to live, some artists live to paint.....

Thomas Torak is a nationally known artist whose work has been seen in over 300 juried and invitational exhibitions. In the fall of 2008 he was hired as an instructor of portraiture and figure painting at the Art Students League of New York. His paintings have been recognized with the American Artists Professional League Medal of Honor at their 66th Grand National Exhibition; the Audubon Artists Gold Medal of Honor at their 59th Annual Exhibition; the Allied Artists of America Silver Medal of Honor at their 93rd Annual Exhibition, the Frank C. Wright Medal of Honor at the 2005 American Artists Professional League Summer Members Exhibition; Best of Show at the 8th Annual National Small Oil Painting Exhibition in Wichita, KA and the Honor Award for Oil at the Academic Artists Association 50th and 54th National Exhibitions of Contemporary Realism. He has received the top awards at the Salmagundi Club in New York at their Thumb-Box Exhibition and a special members exhibit of Flowers. His painting, The Artist, was purchased by the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, LA for their permanent collection.

Thomas began studying at the Art Students League of New York in 1974, studying the first year with Robert Beverly Hale and the next seven years with Frank Mason. Under Mason he learned not only the art of painting but also the craft. He prepares his own canvas, mediums and varnishes and uses only hand ground paint, often grinding the colors himself. A difficult and time consuming task, abandoned by most contemporary artists, but vital to the quality of his work. The methods and techniques he employs are those of the Old Masters but his paintings are decidedly contemporary. Many of his still lifes contain timeless subject matter such as fruit and flowers, but in others you will find more modern objects such as pizza, comic books or baseball mitts. Landscapes are often inspired by walks near his Vermont home or a stroll along the Maine coastline.

He has been elected to membership in the National Arts Club, the Salmagundi Club, the American Artists Professional League, Allied Artists of America, Audubon Artists, the Academic Artists Association, and signature membership in Oil Painters of America. His paintings have been seen at the Butler Institute of American Art, the Springfield Museum of Fine Art, the Huntsville Museum of Art, the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, the San Diego Art Institute, the National Academy Museum, and the Chautauqua Art Galleries.



Silver and Gold
23 x 36 Oil on Linen
Private Collection