My work reaches out to your heart and lovingly says, "It's okay” and “Yes you can". With bright and vibrant brush strokes along with shimmering and colorful splatters and drips, my creations tell stories of personal growth filled with both daunting and joyful experiences. It’s always encouraging self-love, self-acceptance, and pushing for one to look inward for answers, healing, true fulfillment, and love. Through each of my endeavors, the purpose is for people to intently work on themselves, push through their journey of authenticity and love, while acknowledging, accepting and, embracing who they are and the path that brought them to their present state.
As a reminder to look inward, I often depict women with their eyes closed or covered and my work represents women of all cultures and transcends all backgrounds. Taking a figuratively surreal approach, my images are filled with symbolism of change, growth, healing, and love. My art is meant to grab the viewer’s attention with my use of vibrant and colorful mixed-media pieces; mostly wood, sometimes fabric, rarely on canvas, and often interlaced between multiple layers of resin.
Chicago based artist, Gloria I. Rivera is a self-taught multifaceted visual artist. She continues to hold residency in the city’s south side where she was born and raised. She recently participated in an 8 month extended residency in Honduras. While there, she lived on a coffee farm where she created 4 murals, designed and updated the restrooms for the farm hands, designed a new entrance gate to the farm, and taught English to Honduran children and adults. Since her return to the United States in late 2020, she has been navigating through the process of bringing together her craft, passion, vocation and purpose.
The totality of Rivera’s work focuses on encouraging viewers to go inward and work on self-love, self-acceptance, and to face the outward world with love, understanding and respect. Rivera’s approach to her work and subject matter is inspired by her continued personal growth. Her images are often a direct reflection of her experiences, life lesson interpretations, and feelings. Although her intention is that all take heed, her messages often focus on matters of the heart and speak directly to women, while also taking on a spiritual and sometimes metaphysical tone.
During the last several years, Gloria has created murals internationally, taken part in numerous group exhibitions, donated her work to several charitable efforts, put together a solo show, had her work displayed both privately and publicly, and has facilitated several workshops for adults and youth. Her current focus is on an idea of a group exhibition that will tackle matters of mental health. Her greatest aspiration is to obtain representation among galleries throughout the U.S.