Tony’s paintings and murals represent the complexity of an individual’s observation as well as a love and respect for nature and life. Working with the tradition of figurative and still life painting, Tony’s work often focuses on a visual play on words, while others reflect the simple beauty of seemingly ordinary objects composed together. Each piece always demonstrates authenticity in the subject, harmony of color, and resonance of light and shadow. Like a curious child, bursting with creativity, Curanaj represents what he sees honestly and with relentless determination. The more he seeks an honest portrayal, the more present he is with the subject he’s painting. The more aware he becomes, the more he sees, and the better he can translate his experience onto the canvas.
Born in New York in 1973, Tony’s fine art career began in the late 80’s as an innovator and legendary influence in the worldwide graffiti scene (known as “SUB”). After attending the School of Visual Arts in NYC, his ability to execute work of the highest quality landed him at Disney and MTV as a head designer and painter. Always an admirer of the old masters, Tony became a member of the Water Street Atelier in 1999, an institution founded on the ideals of academic realism, where he began to explore and develop his style as a fine artist. Tony’s work can be found in some of the most prestigious collections in the country.
Curanaj is always experimenting, always creating — when Tony is not painting in his studio or teaching the fundamentals of painting and picture-making with his students, you can find him spray-painting graffiti with the DF crew, creating large scale murals all over the world, drawing or skateboarding with his two daughters, and talking about art with fellow artist Edward Minoff on their popular podcast, Suggested Donation Podcast.