Bill Toma has been involved in art since childhood. An avid sketch artist throughout his school years, Toma continued his interest in art through oil painting while obtaining a Master of Arts degree in English in 1961. While pursuing a teaching career, Toma began sculpting and working in metal. By 1973 he had become so obsessed with his art that he resigned his job as an English instructor at Long Beach City College to pursue his passion full-time. Since that turning point, Toma has become an internationally known and highly collectable artist.

When asked about his work, Toma states that he greatly enjoys having his work speak symbolically to his viewers, no doubt a carryover from his literary background. Symbolism can indeed be profound and the use of fantasy-style figures provides an escape from the pressures of everyday life.

Such is the work of Bill Toma, one of the most innovative and popular sculptors in the world today. The range of his subject matter can vary from realistic wildlife to dragons to stylized versions of the human figure. So extraordinarily detailed and exquisitely finished are Bill Toma's works that he has been under exclusive contract with Walt Disney World, Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company since 1980 and has been creating and producing Disney characters in limited editions.