Vilas Tonape, a native of India, has been creating art for more than two decades. He received his BFA in Drawing and Painting with distinction from the Sir J.J. School of Art, University of Bombay (India). He earned an MFA in Painting from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. His work has been exhibited internationally, including venues in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Ontario and Bombay. Tonape has won numerous awards throughout the United States and India and his work has been critically acclaimed. Palm Beach Post says: “Tonape’s painting can be described as classically inspired, contemporary-realism— interpretive images that enchant the eye”.
Working in both figurative and non-representational modes, Tonape focuses on nature. His paintings are “melodies” orchestrated by the artist, rooted in the visual rhythms of gesture and color, recorded in the subject matter. “Painting to me is music for the eyes, conceived without conscious articulations, sentiments or statement”, says Tonape. “They reflect my response to nature. They are conceived by an abstract, intangible sensing of nature that erupts into spontaneous imagery.”
Currently a professor of art at Polk State College (Winter Haven, Florida), Vilas Tonape maintains a rigorous studio practice; he is represented by Infusion Gallery in Los Angeles, California, and Sutlej Art Gallery in New York.
Director, Paducah School of Art, Kentucky