Focal Point: Thomas Torak

Year Born: N/A

Price Range: $1,200.00 - $12,000.00
(This price range was estimated with limited info and may be inaccurate)

Main Website: http://www.thomastorak.com

Other Web Pages With Info About Thomas Torak

Art Galleries Representing Thomas Torak

Anderson Fine Art Gallery
St. Simons Island, GA - (912) 634-8414

Fischer Fine Art
Basking Ridge, NJ - 908-696-0902

G.C. Lucas Gallery
Indianapolis, IN - 317-255-4000

Manchester Fine Art Gallery
Manchester, VT - (802) 362-2112

Redux Art & Antiques
Dorset, VT - 802-867-4211

Sylvan Gallery
Clinton, CT - 860-669-7278

The Christina Gallery
Edgartown, MA - 800-648-1815

The Gallery at Four India Street
Nantucket, MA - (508) 228-8509

Vermont Fine Art Gallery
Stowe, VT - 802-253-9653

Overview

Click Here to go to the website for artist Thomas Torak

The Artist
16 x 14 Oil on Linen
Collection of the Masur Museum of Art

Thomas Torak clearly loves to paint. Inspired by the commonplace, those
familiar everyday objects that surround him, Torak paints with a vigor that
speaks of enthusiasm for both his subject matter and for the visceral act of
applying brushwork.
Judy Birke, New Haven Register Nov. 5, 2006
from a review of Torak's solo exhibition at the Sylvan Gallery, Clinton, CT

Visit my blog Dammi I Colori at http://dammiicolori.blogspot.com/

All images copyrighted by the artist.
Images may not be used without permission.

Biography

Thomas Torak is a nationally known artist whose work has been seen in over 300 juried and invitational exhibitions. 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 Thumbox 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

Upcoming Events and Exhibits

Teaching schedule
Art Students League of New York
9/15/2008-12/29/2008
Reception: ()

My painting teacher, Frank Mason, has taken a leave of absence from his class at the Art Students League and I will be substituting for him while he is away. The class is Frank Mason - Painting from Life, Mon-Fri 1-4:45pm. For information about the class visit http://www.theartstudentsleague.org/ or call (212) 247-4510.

52nd National Fall Open Exhibition
Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT
9/27/2008-10/26/2008
Reception: 9/27/2008 (2 - 4 PM)

Salmagundi Club Fall Auction & Exhibition
Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
10/10/2008-10/24/2008
Reception: ()

1st Auction: Friday October 10 2nd Auction: Friday October 17 3rd Auction: Friday October 24

OPA Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition
Richland Fine Art, Nashville, TN
10/17/2008-11/15/2008
Reception: 10/17/2008 (5 - 8 PM)

Oil Painters of America

AAPL 80th Grand National Exhibition
Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
10/28/2008-11/7/2008
Reception: 11/2/2008 (2 - 5 PM)

American Artists Professional League

Allied Artists of America 95th Annual Exhibition
National Arts Club, New York, NY
11/14/2008-12/2/2008
Reception: 11/30/2008 (Noon - 4 PM)

Salmagundi Club Annual Members Exhibition
Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
11/17/2008-12/5/2008
Reception: 11/20/2008 ()

Marguerite Takvorian-Holmes & Thomas Torak
Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT
2/7/2009-3/8/2009
Reception: 2/7/2009 (2 - 4 PM)

Upcoming Workshops

Other Web Pages that Thomas Torak Recommends you visit

(These pages are not necessarily about Thomas Torak)

Allied Artists of America

Audubon Artists

Chaffee Center for the Visual Arts

Creative Process

Dammi i colori

Elizabeth Torak Website

Oil Painters of America

On The Easel

Salmagundi Club

Southern Vermont Arts Center

The Art Students League of New York

The Artists' Fellowship