Tom Hlas is an abstract painter who works primarily in acrylics and mixed media.

My abstract work and often times conceptual titles allow the viewer to draw their own inspiration, meaning, and enjoyment from the work rather than be influenced by my own underlying thoughts and feelings present when I created the work.

I was born near the small, rural town of Elberon, Iowa, where I grew up the eighth of ten siblings. I then moved to the Washington, DC area to do postgraduate work, then to Miami, Florida and later to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I now live in Norfolk, Connecticut.

While being abstract, my work is really about one’s internal life. It’s about a sense of place where one can go to belong, to be at home. I guess that’s why having an experience of depth, of going into the painting, is so important to me in my art.