The Art and Photography of Lidia Tohar have journeyed far under the sun and occasionally in its shadows. Born in Cuba in 1964, Lidia's family fled the Castro regime when she was 7 years old and resettled in Hollywood, CA, where she was raised. Following a career in fashion retail, Lidia's art changed focus after traveling in Europe where her interest in Fine Art emerged. Inspired by her travels and following her return to the USA, Lidia embarked on her studies in Illustration at Otis Parsons in LA, and later Parsons Art Institute, in New York.
The Caribbean influence can be easily discerned in her work: the vibrant colors and the early sensuousness reminiscent of Matisse. Yet the feminine spirituality that infuses the work is all her own.
“To release out creativity we have to trust our feelings -our intuition-and let go of the safety net. We have to be willing to pick up a brush and jump into the unknown".Now from her Studio in South Florida, Lidia's work explores her Caribbean heritage by fusing her personal story of displacement and return within the framework of an emerging American life. She describes her art as an 'intuitive modernism', one that foregrounds the search for self in a fragmentary world of flux, change, loss and ultimate transformation. Lidia's vibrant and bold use of color illumines her subjects in much the same way as light hits a stained glass window; there is both a spiritual and physical illumination at the core of her artistic expression – a dialogue between the inner landscape of the psyche and the outer reality of the physical world.
Drawing from her background in Illustration and Fashion Design – Lidia’s work often centers upon the figurative exploration of the female form in all its guises. But you will not find her interrogations of femininity a template from which female identity is standardized - instead, her art offers a departure from received modes of representing the feminine. Utilizing her rich exploration of symbolism, Lidia creates imagined worlds that re-map and re-envision interior landscapes in a culture preoccupied with the surface of things.
Inspirations are diverse and include: the art of Matisse, O’Keefe, Kandinskii & Picasso; the fashion of Yves Saint Laurent; the photography of Karl Blossfeldt; Hollywood musicals; nature in all its forms - especially the Tropics; childhood; world music; memory and her world travels.
Lidia works in Acrylics, Watercolor, Pastels & Indian ink. She is an award winning photographer and is available for Commissions, Portraits and Personal Sittings.
Employment History
- Fashion Illustrator, Tobe Report Magazine 1993-94
- Art Teacher, Deerfield after school program, Short Hills, NJ. 1996-97
- Studio Ceramist, West Orange, NJ. 1995-2000
- Studio Artist, Prairie Ave, South Beach, Miami, FL. 2000-02
- Art Teacher, Milagro Center, Delray Beach, FL. 2002-03
- Studio Showroom Creation Design Center, Delray Beach, FL. 2001-02
- Owner of Art Circle Art Gallery, Delray Beach, FL. 2003-05
- Studio Artist & Photographer, Showroom by appointment, Delray Beach, FL. 2005-to present
Past Exhibitions
- Agora Gallery – Soho, NY
- Churchill Gallery – Soho, London, England
- The JCC – West Orange, NJ
- Borders Books & Music – Willowbrook, NJ
- Borders Books & Music – Willowbrook, NJ
- Borders Books & Music – Livingston, NJ
- Borders Books & Music - Livingston, NJ
- Bistango Gallery Restaurant- California
- Art Fest Temple B’ nai Israel – Livingston, NJ
- Valy Studio Gallery – Montclair, NJ
- Valy Studio Gallery – Montclair, NJ
- Valy Studio Gallery – Montclair, NJ
- Studio Gallery – Irvine, CA
- Portfolio Graphics – Montclair, NJ
- Javitz Center International Gift Show- NY
- Lina Digangi Gallery – Totowa, NJ
- Joffrey's Cafe – Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL
- Lola Bar – Miami Beach, FL
- Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce – Miami Beach, FL
- Hispanic Heritage Festival – Miami Airport, Miami, FL
- Cannelle French Interiors – Coral Gables, FL
- Modern Elegance Furniture – Delray Beach, FL
- Community Foundation-Palm Beach, Fl
- Armanibeauty Salon and Day Spa- Delray Beach, FL
Awards & Professional Affiliations
- Award Winning Entry, 'The Three Sisters', in the 'South Beach Photographic Contest' (2001) published in Miami, South Beach: A Photographic Portrait, published by Twin Lights Press inc., 2002.
- A Special acknowledgment by the Community Foundation of the Palm Beaches for the photograph 'Milagro Center Children' at their ‘Faces of the Communities’ Exhibition in 2005.
- Member of the Artists of Palm Beach County
