Avis Riva

Reaching for the Sun

avisriva — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:35:04 +0000

Like awkward and wobbly toddlers, two sunflowers struggled to grow in the shade of a building. They bent and bowed to wind and sun, struggling ever-upward. On my daily visits I watched and waited, giving silent encouragement. Despite the unseasonably cold weather, small buds turned into glorious blooms as they reached for the sun.

The Old McNaught Place

avisriva — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:33:46 +0000

The McNaught homestead, original home of the well-known Canadian artist, Euphemia (Betty) McNaught, is a provincially designated historical site near Beaverlodge, Alberta. Beyond the farmyard, I walked along a trail of nostalgia, where scattered farm machinery of a bygone age was partly hidden by new growth. In a distant field, I could hear the hum of modern farm machinery where engines have replaced horses, and life goes merrily on.

At the junction of the Smoky and Peace Rivers

avisriva — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 02:29:27 +0000

There are broad, winding valleys at the junction of the Smoky with the mighty ‘Peace’ river. These rivers acted as early transportation corridors for exploration, trade and settlement in northern Alberta. But I love this landscape because of its beauty and grandness of scale; from the top of a river bank, I wonder, ‘What lies around the bend?’

Fantasy Lake

avisriva — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:53:18 +0000

“Fantasy Lake” My hope is that this painting will take the viewer into this serene and secluded spot. It is really a compilation of several beautiful places in western Canada where we can go to listen to nature’s sounds and recharge our spirit. (Mixed Media on bd., 20×16)

The Fountain

avisriva — Thu, 06 May 2010 04:48:35 +0000

The Fountain (Onofrio)

The Fountain (Onofrio) is located in the central promenade of the old walled city of Dubrovnik. It was built as a massive cistern, providing water for the people when they were under seige.

This unusual fountain now serves as a meeting point for tourists and locals alike. I loved the textures of the old walls and tried to capture some of it, adding my characteristic bit of color to the various shades of grey stone.

You can find this along with all my other Artwork in the Art Gallery.

Pristine Wilderness

avisriva — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:43:59 +0000

Pristine Wilderness

There is a hidden gem in Alberta, a limited-access provincial park known mostly for its waterfalls, Kakwa Falls, on the Kakwa River southwest, way south of Grande Prairie. Actually, for a good distance we travelled on pavement, then we hit gravel and ‘excitement’ of fording shallow streams.

To access this piece of nature it is best to have a quad for the lower part, but we managed to bounce our way down the boulder-strewn trail in my brother’s 4×4 truck. Apart from the wear on the truck and our bruised body parts, our reward was a place of quiet beauty, a pristine wilderness of river, rugged forest and mountains. I had to paint Kakwa River and Pristine Wilderness to share this experience.

Valley of the Three Sisters

avisriva — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:21:33 +0000

Valley of the Three Sisters

Valley of the Three Sisters was painted from a view up on the other side of the valley, from a vantage point overlooking the entire valley and town of Canmore.

After painting this iconic mountain a few times with the Bow River in the foreground, this time I wanted to show its historic and emotional connection to the town.

You can find this along with all my other Artwork in the Art Gallery.