Artist’s Statement: Mike Torma artworks are contemporary drawings and paintings in the realist tradition. They are intended to move the viewer, whether emotionally or intellectually. Biography: The artist was awarded the Bachelor of Arts degree from Rockhurst University in Kansas City. He also studied briefly at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris. Mentors have included Anthony Ryder, and Robert Liberace. Mike Torma artworks ---Juried works have resulted in the "Roster" and "Collectible" appellations through Shreveport Regional Arts Council, the highest exhibition tier with Bossier Arts Council. He is a Master artist of Shreveport's Hoover Watercolor Society. Solo and conjoint exhibits have included Central Art Station, Artspace, the Agora Borealis, the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, the Norton Gallery, and the artist’s home Gallery, the Bailey, in Shreveport. He has shown at both the Steve Jarrett and Creason's Fine Arts galleries in New Orleans. He has works at the Creative Exchange in Ruston, La. He is a member of Oil Painters of America, the Portrait Society of America, the American Watercolor Society, and the Southwest Watercolor Society. Commissioned works, whether drawings or paintings in oil or watercolor--- as well as his gallery pieces, are appearing with increasing frequency in the homes of discerning collectors throughout the South.