Meet Tone Maul

Tone Maul is a passionate artist and musician based in New York City dedicated to merging creativity with modern design. His art serves as a reflection of his experiences, emotions, and the vibrant energy of the city. Each piece represents a journey, inviting viewers to connect and find their own meaning. Tone believes in the power of art to energize, provoke thought, and powerful feelings.

My Artistic Journey

I was a doodling kid, always drawing in black and white. In 1991, I broke out of those confines, adding splashes of color to canvas. A brush allowed me to explore texture and shadow, and my entwined strokes of moving color began to portray my life.

Though painting brought me joy, the brush intimidated me. I kept my art to myself and focused on building a career as a drummer. For three years (1991–1993, my Texture & Shadow Phase), I painted until my daughter was born.

For the next 22 years, my focus shifted to music and raising my child. The only thing I painted during that time was my drum kit—my debut piece made its stage appearance in the Off-Broadway production of Godspell in 2000!

It wasn’t until 2015 that I picked up a brush again. A friend encouraged me, saying, “Just paint your closet door!” That’s all it took. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. An easel became the central hub of my life.

Painting became a way to reflect on my journey: marriage, parenthood, divorce, death. It helped me celebrate love, passion, purpose, and pleasure. Painting was how I came home to myself. It became my poet’s pen. I began incorporating words and phrases, dividing canvases into distinct scenes with shapes, and contrasting bold colors against black to tell my story.

For five years (2015–2020, my Poet’s Pen Phase), I let the paint guide me. I never knew what I would create when I began; the process was intuitive. I especially loved making color pop.

Then COVID hit. Isolation left me home alone, and I lost my job. During that time, love stories—whether from TV or songs—motivated my work. Though I’m a rock-and-roll drummer, I painted to the sound of gentle music.

For three years (2020–2023, my Love Phase), I became a philosopher of love. I worked on large canvases, using small, meticulous strokes to tell stories. I wrote more, incorporated sculpting tools, and added metallic paints for greater detail and dimension.

Now, I’m fascinated by the challenge of adding color to darkness instead of adding darkness to light. This marks the beginning of my Noir Phase (2023–present). Painting on a black canvas has taught me to find beauty in the shadows. I experiment with materials like wooden blocks, rhinestones, and found objects to create layers and depth—it feels like a candlelit lounge.

Painting takes everything out of me. I put my whole self into it. It’s a deep, joyous expression of who I am.