Grizzly in Ursa Major

About Grizzly in Ursa Major

As a Métis artist, Rick Rivet first attracted national attention when his paintings were included in the prestigious Canadian Museum of Civilization’s national exhibition featuring Indigenous work. Known for his striking, colourful and imaginative imagery, Rivet’s contemporary artwork offers a spiritual and historically relevant view of indigenous cultures.
This powerful portrait of a grizzly’s face—an animal revered for its strength and leadership -- is rendered in bright orange-red and white against an indigo-black backdrop. Ursa Major is the name of a northern constellation also called The Great Bear. The background of Rivet’s bold painting appears as a night sky peppered with white star-like dots.

"When I was growing up in the North, I thought that animals were no less important than other life forms in the cosmos." Rick Rivet

Richard James Rivet was born in Aklavik in the Northwest Territories in a Métis family. He grew up on the land and his family lived by trapping, hunting and fishing. Rivet has four degrees from three universities. He completed his MFA at the U. of Saskatchewan in 1989 and began creating art full time. Rivet has been the recipient of more than twenty awards, scholarships and bursaries including a Fellowship from the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, and the Andy Warhol Foundation Fellowship Residency Program for the Heard Museum in Phoenix. His work is held in private, corporate, and public collections in Canada and the US.