Anthony “Tony” Klaas is a local artist. Growing up, Klaas was surrounded by the arts with his parents having a particular interest in the theater and his father being an author. Klaas discovered his own passion for the arts when he was 17 years old after visiting the Fillmore Auditorium. His passion was solidified in 1965 where he received his first payment for one of his pieces and came to the realization that he could make a living from his artwork. After completing highschool, Klaas followed his passion and went on to study at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland California (CCAC). Klaas later went on to study in Barcelona in 1972 with a focus in surrealism. It was here that Klaas lived next to the Picasso museum and had the opportunity to meet both Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso after searching for them daily at the Plaza Real.

Klaas credits much of his art inspiration to psychedelics stating that he often got inspiration for different shapes and images from his psychedelic experiences as well as from the political climate. Klaas also found inspiration after visiting Van Gogh’s grave. Klaas identified with Van Gogh because they had both been battling difficulties with their ability to harness the realities of life in the setting of mental health. Van Gogh’s work became an inspiration to Klaas and inspired him to use his art as a way to log his feelings. Klaas created pieces that helped him manage his feelings about hardships and politics between the 1970’s-2000’s. He explains that revisiting his issues through art helps him to see situations differently and allows him to find solutions.

Klaas has a wide variety of styles within his repertoire. He notes that he had a different focus for each decade focusing on Surrealism in the 1970’s, Realism through landscapes in the 1980’s, and further perfecting his technique in pure colors layered to create closeness to nature in the 1990’s. Although Klaas has had many different styles over the years, one component remains the same; he believes that using color to change the ordinary into magic allows you to become the master of your own world.