Gerald J Tomany is driven by an obsessive curiosity and a need to experiment. Always pursuing a creative life, he takes inspiration from everything that appears in his environment.
He is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, majoring in Industrial Design. His exposure to the evolution of artistic expression has led Gerald to his own creation of abstract works with a wide variety of materials.
While still a student, Gerald was honored with the Robert Rice Jennings Award for a painting in the juried Sixty-Seventh Annual Exhibition by Chicagoland artists. His work was sold and commissioned through the Rental and Sales Gallery of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Gerald’s unique sculptures were featured on the front covers of Creative Art with Wood and Creative Carving, both by author Donna Z. Meilach. Additionally, Ms. Meilach featured one of his unique creations in Direct Metal Sculpture.
While employed as Industrial Designer for GTE’s Automatic Electric Corporation, Gerald won a design award for his innovative control console in a juried competition sponsored by Industrial Design Magazine, the profession’s trade publication. His winning entry was displayed at New York’s Whitney Museum. Also, he and his team created three designs that were successfully patented.
Gerald has taught Design and Drafting at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. His works were sold through Gilman Galleries, Collectors Showroom, and SaraJane International. His sculpture was featured in “Contract”, an interior design trade publication, as well as in Chicago Tribune articles. His list of commissioned works is long, and included within the collections of Chicago’s renowned Pump Room Restaurant, Standard Oil of Indiana, and a distinguished owner of Chicago White Sox.
Gerald’s artistic spirits soon turned toward Architectural consulting. During Chicago’s real estate boom of the 1970’s, he served as design consultant for Messick Construction Company, a well-established retail and residential renovation specialist. This gig soon led to his own Chicago real estate ventures.
A major accomplishment was Gerald’s formation of his own real estate development firm, later known as Tomany Management. Applying his unique approach to design and user-friendly layout, Gerald succeeded in repositioning small downtown residential spaces into trendy abodes that met with wide approval in the trendy upscale market niche. During 35 years of operation, Tomany Management re-developed and managed over 350 residential units plus a high profile real estate franchise office that he created within a three-story retail/warehouse building on a prominent retail strip.
Following those many successful years in the Chicago scene, Gerald is newly energized by his re-location to New Mexico . His works have been exhibited at the Weems Galleries, New Mexico Art League, 2018 Masterworks of New Mexico exhibition, 2018 New Mexico State Fair, and the 2018 Encantada exhibition. More recent involvements include the Rio Grande Art Association and the International Society of Experimental Artists. Gerald’s ever-expanding portfolio of current work has been exhibited and sold at the Warren Fine Art Gallery.
Clearly, the enchantment of New Mexico has re-awakened Gerald’s creativity as a mixed media artist. His unique combination of color, texture, and form continues to evolve. His ultimate goal: energizing the visual senses of art enthusiasts who share his passion for experimentation and discovery.
Gerald J Tomany 