Rob Gonsalves developed an interest in drawing from imagination using various media. By age twelve, his awareness of architecture grew as he learned perspective techniques and began to do his first fine art paintings and renderings of imagined buildings. After an introduction to Artists Dali and Tanguy, Gonsalves began his first surrealist paintings. The “Magic Realism” approach of Magritte along with the precise perspective illusions of Escher came to be influences in his future work. In his post college years, Gonsalves worked full time as an architect, also painting trompe l’oeil murals and theatre sets. After an enthusiastic response in 1990 at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Gonsalves devoted himself to painting full time.

Although Gonsalves’ work is often categorized as surrealistic, it differs due to the fact that the images are deliberately planned and result from conscious thought. Ideas are largely generated by the external world and involve recognizable human activities, using carefully planned illusionist devices. Gonsalves injects a sense of magic into realistic scenes. As a result, the term “Magic Realism” describes his work accurately.

Rob Gonsalves has exhibited at Art Expo New York and Los Angeles, Decor Atlanta and Las Vegas, Fine Art Forum, as well as one-man shows at Discovery Galleries, Ltd., Hudson River Art Gallery, and Kaleidoscope Gallery. June of 2003, Simon and Schuster introduced North America and Canada to Imagine a Night, Gonsalves’ first hardcover book featuring sixteen paintings. Due to the success of Imagine a Night, Simon & Schuster is planning to release Imagine a Day in 2004.