John A. Rivas
Bio: Rivas’ paintings occupy space like sculpture by juxtaposing found objects sourced from childhood, on the canvas. His brush strokes, thick at times with impasto, are expressive marks that add to the visual collage. The complexity of his work is made up of the true color spectrum of Latinx faces. Loaded with personal symbolism and themes that celebrate the Latinx concept of family and community, his work examines the socioeconomic, racial, and cultural boundaries of immigrant lives. The artist attributes the frenetic, raw energy of his work to the long history of hard-working family members. The raw “roughness and edges (of my work) comes from my family of farmers, family of construction workers—I know what it is to be under the sun, working, sweating, I know how it feels. I am a dirty kid, but I can make beauty out of anything.”
Thesis Exhibition
Ivy Leauge Man, (57" x 52," Mixed Media on canvas, 2021)
First Year Exhibition
Quevedo, (12 x 11 3/4 in, Oil, oil pastel, acrylic, graphite, markers, crayons, fabric, jewels, beans, coffee beans, charcoal on panel and paper, 2021)
