Box of Rain

About Box of Rain

This intriguing, dynamic geometric contemporary painting is by Rick Rivet. The Metis artist has acquired an international reputation for his artwork which often offers a poetic, spiritual and historically relevant view of indigenous and Western cultures. This composition uses a box-like shape to symbolize a vessel. The idea of the ‘journey’ between the physical and the metaphysical world is a favoured theme in Rivet's work. A small green and yellow center is bordered by two trapezoids in black and white. Two bright red trapezoids above and below help create the illusion of a box. Expressive brushstrokes, curated markings, thin layers of paint and drip marks add depth and detail. Rivet named this series after a song by the famous American band, The Grateful Dead which calls the world we live in a ‘box of rain.’

“A lot of the mark-making is almost like carving into the painting to get at an unconscious idea . . . There’s chaos and control, destruction and reconstruction. There are layers of paint, with drips over them, and washes over other areas. It’s very process-oriented.” Rick Rivet

Richard James Rivet was born in Aklavik in the Northwest Territories in a Metis 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.