Happiness can be most elusive, even ephemeral. Just ask artist Richelle Rivera. Sadness, loss, heartache, longing, rejection and emptiness — she felt them all. What she did was overcome these crippling feelings of anxiety and depression by immersing herself in art.
“I found my happiness through my art,” Richelle says, believing that engaging in artistic pursuits can help boost self-confidence, heal the soul, and bring positivity into one’s life. She says she feels blessed because people share how her paintings bring them happiness and healing.
What Richelle has done is to embrace varying artistic styles: from impressionism to realism. She is an architect by profession with a degree from the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology. Drawing was her first love, starting at the age of four. The pandemic, which put a halt to everything in our lives, allowed Richelle to take up the brush again once again. She took advantage of the lockdown to paint landscapes, seascapes, flowers, portraits, still life and even abstracts. Her predilection for architectural composition even shows up in some of her paintings.
She founded an art group called Pilipinta, which had its first group show last August at ARTablado in Robinsons Galleria. She offers support to aspiring artists by initiating a mentorship program and an online art workshop. She actively participates in art-for-a-cause programs to help the less unfortunate individuals, raising funds for those affected by typhoons as well as providing school supplies and support to indigenous people such as the Aetas — all done in collaboration with The First People, Ateneo Graduate School of Business, and Humankind PH.
“I found my happiness through my art,” Richelle says, believing that engaging in artistic pursuits can help boost self-confidence, heal the soul, and bring positivity into one’s life. She says she feels blessed because people share how her paintings bring them happiness and healing.
Richelle is part of the Philippine Modernism art book, which puts the spotlight on established and upcoming artists in the Philippine art scene. Her artwork was exhibited at the GSIS Museum. She also joined the Dr. Jose Rizal National Portraiture Competition by New York-based, non-profit organization Eagle Eye Charities Inc. (EEC) early this year. Richelle was also invited by ABS-CBN and GMA 7 to share her experiences as an artist.
Richelle Rivera presents her latest works in “I Found My Happiness,” which is on view at Robinsons Land ARTablado, Level 3 or Robinsons Galleria until Jan. 3, 2023.
Established in 2020, Robinsons Land ARTablado, a portmanteau of “art” and “entablado” is Robinsons Land’s very own stage in showcasing the Filipino ingenuity and creativity. This platform allows emerging artists to freely express themselves through art and paves the way to greater recognition of their talent and hard work.
ADVT.