Tomas Oliva, Jr. – Cuba / Washington, U.S.A.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

Tomas Oliva was born in Havana, Cuba and it was there where he discovered his love for art. Some of his works include “Frida carrying a marble player” at Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, New Hampshire, “Frida Inquebrantable” in Chile, “Frida India” at Adichunchana Giri in South India and “The Way” a 10 x 8 feet Honduran mahogany door at St. Andrew Church in Sumner Washington. A large body of his work has been done in Cuba as well as the Ukraine, Chile, and the United States.  Oliva’s themes are the Homage to Frida Kahlo and The Marble Players.

Since 1987, his work has been inspired by William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 66. His influences also include artists Edvard Munch and Kate Kollwitz. He has been a Visual Arts professor for 22 years. He began teaching at the Academia San Alejandro in Habana, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de Ciudad México. In 1994, he began teaching at Tacoma Art Museum, Children Museum, Pratt Fine Art Center, Seattle Central Community College, and Olympic College. Tomas currently resides in Washington State.
Please refer to his website http://www.olivasart.com/olivahome.html for more information.

 

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Frida Carrying the Marble Player is the third of a series “Homage to Frida Kahlo”,
A tribute to Frida Kahlo. It is a column made out of three parts. The top and bottom parts are aligned and the center part is contrasting to the encompassing elements.

It stands direct on the ground level and it is not intended to exceed 10 feet tall.

Two additional sisterworks were placed in India (1999) and Chile (2001). They are positioned so that they face one another, making a global connection.