Unframed Size -15" x 19"   Edition # 3/395

 Bio-Although Gonsalves' work is often categorized as Surrealism, it differs due to the fact that each painting, each illusion is deliberately planned and result from conscious thought. Ideas are largely generated by the external world and involve recognizable human activities, using carefully planned illusionist devices. Artist Rob Gonsalves was born in Toronto, Canada in 1959. During his childhood Rob began to express his artistic ability. Drawing strictly from his imagination using various types of media he began to develop his talent. By age twelve, his awareness of architecture grew as he learned perspective techniques and drew his first paintings and renderings of imagined buildings.

After an introduction to Artists Dali and Tanguy, Gonsalves began his first surrealist paintings. The "Magic Realism" approach of Magritte along with the precise perspective illusions of MC Escher came to be influences in his future work. In his post college years, Gonsalves worked full time as an architect; while painting trompe l'oeil murals and theatre sets. After an enthusiastic response in 1990 at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Gonsalves devoted himself to painting full time.

Rob Gonsalves injects a sense of magic into realistic scenes. As a result, the term "Magical Realism" describes his work accurately. His work is an attempt to represent human beings desire to believe in the impossible.