Meet Kim Rivera | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim Rivera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
When I think about risk, I think about unique growth opportunities. When I take risks, I rely more on intuition and what decision will bring me more peace and freedom than anxiety. I primarily focus on whether or not I can imagine myself in one situation over the other. Over the last few years, I have taken risks with jobs, moving, and pursuing projects that I have never done before. Each risk ultimately influenced my artistic pursuits over time.

This past summer, I knew if I wanted to have the freedom to make art, I needed to take a risk to leave my job without a new job lined up. I gave advance notice to my job, made a risky temporary move for studio space, and said yes to demanding commissions with short deadlines. I greatly surprised myself when I finished the projects and gained professional experience I didn’t imagine having. Not only did the risk affirm my decision, but the intention behind my decisions allowed me to gain greater confidence in my art and how I want others to see my work.

The decision to leave my job and pursue my artistic endeavors is relatively new and objectively risky, but having the freedom to focus all my time on this next chapter is an opportunity I haven’t had in the past. I look forward to how this decision will challenge me and where this will take me in my life and career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I got to college, I dove into printmaking and fell in love with it! I met great teachers, mentors, and peers that continuously challenged me and encouraged me in my art. At the same time, I dove into my Catholic faith and spent time traveling to Haiti and Europe, and those experiences heavily influenced the content of my work.

When I graduated, I lacked the confidence to pursue art more seriously, yet the absence of constantly creating fostered my desire to pursue art professionally. Without access to the same resources for printmaking, I had to explore new mediums. I watercolored and designed wedding invitations, learned calligraphy, graphic design, and photography. As I dove into various mediums, I learned to better value my work while my skills and creative curiosity broadened. I soon found my way back into printmaking through print exchanges. I would sit at the kitchen table carving my reductive prints, determined to meet the deadlines with only a brayer, glass table, and the back of a wooden spoon to print large quantity editions.

As I slowly got back into art, the biggest challenge I faced was work-life balance. I felt that I didn’t have the time to work on commissions, grow, or apply for new opportunities. Ultimately this led to one of the biggest lessons I learned. There is power in saying no because it gives you greater freedom to say yes to an opportunity that encourages artistic endeavors. Through knowing when to say no and when to say yes, I’ve been able to work on bigger commissions, have an art residency through the Art Gym, and gain greater confidence in my skills.

As I continue to grow as an artist, I want my art to cause the viewer to pause and contemplate what is immediately in front of them while conveying a deeper truth or a story. Art has the power to foster community, form a newfound appreciation of the world and people around us, and prompt change through beauty. I recently finished five screen prints for the Catholic Health Association of the United States Advent reflection series that I am very proud to have accomplished. I’ve never done a project like it before and grew artistically and professionally as a result. I was able to tell a story through the content and aesthetic of my art.

Moving forward with my art and career, I want to continue creating work that portrays stories and experiences with movement, texture, and detail in each print––work that allows the viewer the chance to be present with the art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Having grown up in Colorado I would want them to get a glimpse of the places and activities I love. We’d visit my hometown of Colorado Springs before going on a quick camping trip to Buena Vista where I’ve spent several summers camping, hiking, and rafting. Grab burgers from K’s before leaving town and head to Boulder, where I went to college and lived and worked for a few years. We’d hike around Chautauqua then get coffee from Ozo Coffee to walk around campus before grabbing dinner and local beer at the Rayback Collective. Finally, we’d end the week by spending time in Denver. Our day would start off with breakfast from Gomez Burritos and coffee from Jubilee Coffee Roaster. We’d wander over to the RiNo district and look at mural art before playing volleyball with friends in Wash Park. Finally, we’d end the day with friends playing games, spontaneously dancing to music, and talking around a fire pit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In complete honesty, a priest whom I met in college challenged me to dive deeper into art. As a genuine creative polymath, his skills range from ceramics, photography, and jewelry making to graphic design and projection mapping. Before religious life, he studied art in college and was in various art shows. His mentorship challenged me to think deeper about the process of creating artwork and develop confidence in pursuing art and my skills. It was refreshing to meet someone who creates art through a lens focused on small details, continuous curiosity, and attention to stages of the creative process.

When in college, he recommended The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Cameron’s book is a 12-week artistic immersion consisting of daily morning pages and weekly artist dates and chapter readings. Though I haven’t completed the book, a section I read from the first chapter radically stuck with me. Essentially, she asked the reader to consider would you rather live vicariously through the skills of another artist or be that artist. I put the book down and knew I didn’t want to be the artist who lived vicariously through others.

Through that priest’s mentorship and creative curiosity, I’ve constantly tried to challenge myself in my work by finding ways to be intentional and curious in the creating process while also learning how to convey a story or deeper meaning in my artwork.

Website: kimarivera.com

Instagram: Kim.a.rivera

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-a-rivera

Image Credits
Grant Whitty