Robert Rivera worked as a welder in Los Alamos, New Mexico until 1978 when he came upon a pile of gourds while on a trip to California. He bought a dozen gourds and brought them back to New Mexico. He then quit his government job to paint the gourds. A few years ago Rivera did not know what a gourd was. His art involves gourds of every conceivable shape and size. The designs reflect Rivera's S...see more »panish, Apache and French heritage with heavy emphasis on images from Native American culture. He has taken a simple, organic material and transformed it into an art form that falls somewhere between painting, sculpture and pottery. Rivera has established an international reputation for himself. Rivera's favorites are the gourds painted with ancient Anasazi designs. He also began to create new designs based on Chinese, Indonesian and Greek art. Today Rivera sells everything that he makes with the demand is so great that he can't keep up. Rivera said he enjoys watching the expressions on people's faces when they look at his work. The artist says - Seeing how excited people get about the art means more to me than anything else. I like to think that these pieces will still be around long after I'm gone. While Rivera admits that anyone can paint a gourd, his gourds are making the quantum leap from craft to fine art. I create from gourds because I love to. Everything goes in a circle. It always comes back. Robert Rivera lives with his wife Linda in the Sandia Foothills in Placitas, New Mexico. « see less
Rick F. of Colorado says:
"The painting arrived today & it looks just the way I hoped it would. Thanks!"