Richard James Rivet

“Through the creative experience and its profound link to the unconscious, artists confront the on-going history of the human spirit. The search requires not imitation, but the revelation and expression of those intangibles which can only be conveyed through poetic meaning. Art is a journey of the human spirit through the matter/space/time continuum.”

Métis artist Richard James Rivet was born in 1949 in Aklavik, Northwest Territiories, well above the Arctic Circle in the Beaufort Sea area. He spent much of his childhood living on the land with his family, hunting, trapping and fishing when not in school. In 1969, Rivet journeyed south to attend university, eventually earning four post-secondary degrees from 3 universities in studies in fine arts, history and the humanities over the next two decades. Since 1989, he has worked full time with his art.
The influences on his unique painting and drawing style are varied, with Shamanistic imagery from around the world and Western and Contemporary influences, including Abstract Expressionism and Primitive Art. Rivet’s work explores spirituality and visual expression from the context of his identity as a First Nations and the universal journey of the human spirit.
His paintings and drawings can be found in major museum collections across Canada and in private collections around the world. Rickard James Rivet currently lives and creates in Terrace, B.C.