Painting · Faith · Contemplation · Sensitivity
Painting the Gospel and creation.
Approaching mystery through the human experience.
I am Tomás Santos Alcalá. Here I share my paintings and the journey behind them: the search, the encounters, the studio and the life that unfolds on each canvas.
A glimpse into the studioThe Institution of the Eucharist · Selected for the AEPE’s 93rd Salón de Otoño.
01 / The project
“Along the Path of Beauty” grows from a conviction: painting can open a space for silence, hope and an encounter with God.
A telling of the Gospels through painting. Each work has its own meaning and enters into dialogue with the others through faces, gestures, light and details.
I seek to bring the life of Christ closer through its human dimension: faces, hands and light falling on everyday objects.
Art history and faith accompany the work, from the first studies to the canvas.
From the first study to the canvas02 / Paintings and projects
One completed painting.
Two journeys unfolding in the studio.
Your Place at the Table · Work in progress
Your Place at the Table
The face of John and the painting of his clothing: a fragment of The Last Supper, still in progress.
Water-mixable oil on canvas · 239 × 157 cm · Detail of John · © 2026 Tomás Santos Alcalá
The images of The Last Supper and The Annunciation show details of paintings currently in progress on canvas. The full compositions will remain unseen until their presentation.
03 / Earlier paintings
Landscapes, portraits and everyday scenes are part of the same search: drawing closer to the beauty that moves us. My present dedication to sacred art grows from that way of seeing.
04 / Studio journal
Decisions, questions and small discoveries.
A window into the painting process.
Studio Journal / The gesture
In The Institution of the Eucharist, the gesture of breaking bread sustains the whole image. Christ’s lowered gaze leads towards his hands; the bread and cup give the gesture a tangible, familiar setting.
Studio Journal / Composition
The title Your Place at the Table expresses the invitation behind The Last Supper. The scene seeks to draw the viewer into an encounter: a shared table, an offering and different human responses.
Studio Journal / Atmosphere
The research for The Annunciation begins with a simple interior: a home in Nazareth with vessels, wood and a doorway admitting light. This everyday material world becomes the setting for the encounter.
A glimpse into the process · 1 min 25 sec
First layers and the search for volume in one of the faces in The Last Supper.
Brushstrokes gradually build the hair, the light and the features over the preparatory drawing.
05 / Exhibitions and news
Exhibitions, awards and encounters along my artistic journey.
29 October–29 November 2026
Casa de Vacas · El Retiro Park · Madrid
The Institution of the Eucharist has been selected for the 93rd Salón de Otoño of the Spanish Association of Painters and Sculptors.
28 February–22 March 2026
Museo Cromática · Toledo
A solo exhibition bringing together a personal exploration of sensitivity through painting.
2023
International competition
Honourable Mention in the first edition of Best Art Awards, in the Portrait / Figurative category.
2021
Casa de Vacas · El Retiro Park · Madrid
Selected for the 88th Salón de Otoño of the Spanish Association of Painters and Sculptors.
2018
Royal Palace · Madrid
Presentation of the portrait of the King and Queen to King Felipe VI, an encounter within my work in institutional portraiture.
“It’s not just that you paint well — your paintings have soul.”
“One can see not only the scale of the project, but also the dedication, study and effort you are putting into it.”
06 / About me
Painter. Art historian. Educator.
Madrid, Spain · 1974
Painting has been part of my life since childhood. Art history taught me to look; teaching taught me to share that way of seeing.
After more than two decades in education and cultural management, I am now pursuing a creative chapter devoted to painting, with a particular focus on sacred art.
“Along the Path of Beauty” brings together my training, my sensitivity and my faith. I seek an accessible visual language that can speak of human dignity, vulnerability and hope.
Research and teaching remain part of this journey: understanding the images we have inherited and contributing, from the studio, to those we have yet to create.
We meet along the path of beauty.
My artistic journey
My exhibition journey began in 1986, when I was twelve: exhibitions, awards, institutional portraits and collections. Explore my full artistic CV, updated in October 2026.
Tomiarte · A personal archive since 2006
Part of this journey was recorded in Tomiarte, the blog I started in 2006. It holds memories of my early years, paintings and exhibition news: a personal record that continues today on this website.
Explore the Tomiarte archive (Spanish)The first steps
In 1981, at seven, I made my first painting: a tempera on fabric that I still have. At thirteen I took on a copy of The Disrobing of Christ (El Expolio) by El Greco, measuring 200 × 150 cm.
More than forty years later, I recognise in those early paintings the beginning of a search that has taken me through landscapes, portraits and other forms of expression. My present dedication to sacred art also draws on that early encounter with religious painting.
My painting today07 / Contact
To discuss a commission, an exhibition or a collaboration, you are welcome to write to me directly.
tomassantosautor@gmail.comInstagram · @tomassantosautor