Portraiture has a long and venerable history. Throughout the centuries some of the world's most revered artists have turned their brush in the attempt to capture both look and personality. Tonia Marks Baney is Hawaii's best example of this tradition.

Tonia had always considered her fellow man as individual as their fingerprints which is expressed in her relationship with each of her subjects. She is able to paint anything but chooses the most difficult. Each time she succeeds in expressing a unique personality it is also an opportunity to paint a spark of God's presence which will last for decades to come.

Her paintings, meticulously executed in oil and oil glazes on the finest Belgian linen, are richly detailed with superb technical acumen.

Tonia's special artistry, however, is in her ability to capture the essence of a personality; to find the inner light within.

Tonia sold her first portrait at age 16. An artist since she could hold a pencil, Tonia was given private lessons equipping her with a basic mastery of graphite, pastels and watercolor by the age of 12. Born into an artistic family, she learned to paint everything from landscapes to animals and her primary inspiration, the human face and body.

As a young adult at the University of Wisconsin and the Vancouver School of Art, Tonia's creative media segued into sculpture, acrylics and oils, leading to many group and individual shows in the United States and Canada. In 1977, Tonia moved to the island of Maui.

In addition to continuous portrait commissions, Tonia expanded her repertoire by forming an award-winning ad agency and later the management of a visual arts center. During this time, frequent travel to most of the world's major art museums, such as the Hermitage, Uffizi and the Louvre, broadened an already extensive knowledge of art history and further refined Tonia's technique and vision.