I was born in New York City and began drawing and painting as a small
child. My mother is a fashion design assistant and my father is a
communications system engineer. Thankfully, both encouraged me to
develop my artistic talents from the very beginning.
As a child, I grew up watching my father’s face and eyes light up while
recalling the impressive artistic talents of his older brother Roberto in
Peru. Though my father could draft a mean architectural drawing
himself, he always talked about his brother's capability and dedication
to his profession with great awe and respect.
And so it was somewhat in the shadow of my dazzling fine artist uncle,
Roberto, that my artistic endeavors came underway, steadily, as a
child. I went on to win awards for drawing and painting in high school
and gained entrance to the art colleges of my choice. I attended the
Fashion Institute of Technology on a scholarship and became a notable
artist in my class. Art school was, happily, the fertile ground where all
my artistic interests could be further explored and/or developed
including my love for art history and photography. I began drawing
fashion illustrations professionally at age 19 and was commissioned by
my college museum for fashion art in 1998. Fashion illustration
remains a great a passion of mine to this day.
After college, I focused on developing my individual expression and
style as a painter taking various classes at The Cooper Union. I enjoy
drawing inspiration from the world of nature and bringing to surface the
spiritual element and uplifting sensation we all feel when we are in
contact with the wonders of nature. Some of my favorite artists include
Georgia O'Keeffe, Vincent Van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, and Claude
Monet. I am an active artist in the northern Manhattan artistic
community.
Thank you for visiting and come back soon for updates and more visual
art.
E-mail: contact@maritzariveraart.com
