Welcome to RIVAA Gallery

I moved to New York City thirty five years ago from Boston, Massachusetts.  I was a little nervous because I had heard how difficult New Yorkers can be.  However, I found the city and its’ people exactly the contrary to what I had expected.  The people of this city are quirky, giving, eclectic and fabulous, the ultimate melting pot.  Immediately I felt at home and began by painting familiar scenes from my neighborhood.

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Currently, I am mostly painting triptychs.  My triptychs are portraits of ordinary people that exude warmth and reflect the intensity and diversity of the city.  We keep talking about getting back to normal.  I define that indefinable normal in my portraits that stand approximately 4 to 8 feet tall when all three pieces are assembled. 

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There are all kinds of people:  people going to work, people going to parties, street musicians, athletes, tourists, taxi cab drivers, waiters and more.  Occasionally, I paint only the bottom of the triptych.  This give the observer the opportunity to decide who this person is and it affords the New Yorkers a little bit of privacy.  My triptychs are just as accommodating as the real New Yorkers.  They can be hung from wires on the ceiling, on doors that are used to enter or leave a room.  They can be attached to a stand and placed anywhere in a room.  They can also be hung very traditionally on walls.

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At the end of every painting there is some canvas remaining that is simply too small to be used in a conventional way, but with too much potential to waste.  I create designs on these bits of canvas with whatever paint remains on my palette.  I then collage the pieces together creating images of food.  Hey, the triptychs need to eat.

In all my paintings I attempt to inspire the observer to feel good.  That sums up the purpose of my art.  It is supposed to make everyone feel as welcome and accepted as New York City made me feel when I first arrived.