Suspension within Matter Space Time

About Suspension within Matter Space Time

This contemporary acrylic painting of a walrus is by Metis artist Rick Rivet.

The expressive, colourful paintings of Rick Rivet have found a dedicated audience in both Canada and the U.S. Known for his powerful imagery rendered in vivid colours, Rivet’s artwork pays homage to his indigenous roots, shamanistic traditions and his early life growing up in the North.

His artistic influences—the Modernists such as Rothko and Turner are also evident in the techniques he uses in his work—the layering of paint, the mark making, the drips and the rich fields of colour.
Rivet often returns to the theme of animals, as in this piece that features a walrus, one of the animals that was key to survival in the North, for its meat and skins for boats. Shamans also were known to adopt certain animals as spiritual guides. Rivet’s walrus appears to be floating in the cosmos—between two worlds…the green of the earth below and the deep blue of the night sky above. The walrus is a mix of deep red, dark brown and black.

“My art represents aspects of my own culture and history personally, and in the wider archetypal sense, includes all common human experience.” Rick Rivet

“Looking at Rick Rivet’s paintings is like embarking on a journey through a dream world — images emerge and recede; symbols float into awareness and wash in on waves of sumptuous colour.” Portia Priegert, Editor, Galleries West

Richard James Rivet was born in Aklavik in the Northwest Territories. 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 University 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.