Inside Passage

About Inside Passage

In this expressive and colourful large abstract painting by Rick Rivet, a whale swims In icy turquoise Arctic waters. The pristine, crisp bright colour palette of this piece—blues, greens, lilac, white and black enhances Rivet’s signatory markings that add both depth and complexity to his work. The Canadian artist has an international reputation for his contemporary artwork that pays homage to his rich indigenous heritage.

“The art that I do is directly connected with the shamanic/spiritual tradition which is derived from the belief systems of an ancient human past….It is a ‘nature-oriented’ belief system and ideology, a holistic worldview. ‘Shamanism’ promoted the viewpoint of living in harmony with the earth…” 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.