Tom Hlas
As an abstract artist, I work primarily in acrylics and mixed media collage.
I was born and raised near the small, rural town of Elberon, Iowa, where I grew up the eighth of ten children. I then moved to the Washington, DC area to do postgraduate work, then to Miami, Florida and later to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tiring of big city life, I moved to the small village of Norfolk, Connecticut, where I now live and work. My move to the country has had a big impact on my work.
Art courses make up only a part of my formal education. I studied drawing and painting at the Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland, early in art career. My diverse educational experiences also include a Bachelor degree in Vocal Music and postgraduate studies in philosophy and theology as well as on-the-job training in marketing and graphic design.
The paper cutouts of Matisse, the abstract expressionists, the color field painters of yesteryear as well as artists of today are all sources of inspiration to me. In both 2009 and 2010, I was awarded a one-month artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont.
As well as my studio practice, I also have an extensive art teaching practice and teach a variety of art courses both online and at the West Hartford Art League (West Hartford, CT), as well as weekend workshops. In 2019, I became a certified GOLDEN Artist Educator by Golden Artist Colors, Inc., in New Berlin, NY. In 2022, I became a certified Silver Brush Educator by Silver Brush Limited in Windsor, NJ.
Bachelor of Music (University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA)
Studies in Theology (The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC)
Art studies at Montgomery Community College (Rockville, MD)
I was born and raised near the small, rural town of Elberon, Iowa, where I grew up the eighth of ten children. I then moved to the Washington, DC area to do postgraduate work, then to Miami, Florida and later to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tiring of big city life, I moved to the small village of Norfolk, Connecticut, where I now live and work. My move to the country has had a big impact on my work.
Art courses make up only a part of my formal education. I studied drawing and painting at the Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland, early in art career. My diverse educational experiences also include a Bachelor degree in Vocal Music and postgraduate studies in philosophy and theology as well as on-the-job training in marketing and graphic design.
The paper cutouts of Matisse, the abstract expressionists, the color field painters of yesteryear as well as artists of today are all sources of inspiration to me. In both 2009 and 2010, I was awarded a one-month artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont.
As well as my studio practice, I also have an extensive art teaching practice and teach a variety of art courses both online and at the West Hartford Art League (West Hartford, CT), as well as weekend workshops. In 2019, I became a certified GOLDEN Artist Educator by Golden Artist Colors, Inc., in New Berlin, NY. In 2022, I became a certified Silver Brush Educator by Silver Brush Limited in Windsor, NJ.
Bachelor of Music (University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA)
Studies in Theology (The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC)
Art studies at Montgomery Community College (Rockville, MD)
