California artist Tony Pro had early artistic guidance from his father, Southwest and wildlife painter Julio Pro, received his formal education from California State University, and also studied informally with well known illustrator Glen Orbik.
Pro has taken his influences and his enthusiasm for academic and other past masters and developed a style of western landscape, still life, portraiture and figurative work that uses sophisticated compositions, muted color palettes and finessed value relationships.
I particularly enjoy his portraits and figurative pieces that incorporate room interiors or elements of still life, which feel to me at though they carry the influence of turn of the 20th century American painters like William McGregor Paxton.
Pro conducts occasional workshops, and is a resident professor of art at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. He also has portrait sketch instructional videos available from his site.
His painting “Last train home” (above, third form bottom) was awarded First Place for Best Painting in the 2014 Portrait Society of America International Competition.
