Artist Statement
Through my work, I grapple with my personal relationship with identity, disability, and connection with the outside world. As a multimedia artist I work with many different mediums including acrylic, oil, watercolors, ink, pastel, and digital illustration. I love to illustrate stories, create new worlds, and delve deeper into my own reality in ever changing ways. My desire to create something important that will outlive me draws me into the studio day after day.
Tiny River!
Curriculum Vitae
Phone: (720)390-1041 Email:Rivahetzel@gmail.com Address: Littleton, CO
Summary: Hard working and creative multidisciplinary artist who specializes in oil, acrylic and watercolor painting along with ink and digital illustration and doll making. Recent graduate of Arapahoe Community College with an AFA in Studio Art. Experience in children’s book illustration, installation, mural painting, set design, and set painting.
Education:
2023-2024 Arapahoe Community College Associates of Fine Arts Studio Art
4.o GPA
Professional Experience:
2022 Scenic Painter: University of Northern Colorado
Painting sets, creating mock-ups of set design, mixing paint, and collaborating with head artists for each production to construct their designs on the mainstage.
Scenic Painter and Carpenter: Creede Repertory Theatre
Set painting, set construction, and paint design for rotating repertory theatre shows. Construction and changeover of sets, paint touchup, and paint maintenance throughout the summer season.
2023 CRT Young Artist Outreach Tour Book Illustrator
Creede Repertory Theatre show illustrator for touring children’s show. Illustrating a short story that went along with the show to promote literacy and education. Work with author, director, and scenic designer to illustrate backdrops, characters, and a short story. Published and shared with each school.
2024 Actor and Scenic Illustrator: Vintage Theatre’s Fun Home
Unique opportunity to collaborate with set designers and the director to add hand drawn elements to the set design.
Awards:
2020 AP 2-D Art and Design Score of 5
College Board evaluated portfolio comparable to an A+ in equivalent college courses
2023 First Place: ACC Expressions of Equity Competition
Piece: Hidden Self on Display, September 2023. Published images in the Fall IEC ACC Newsletter
Aspen Grove Mural Competition Selected Design
Selected individual proposal for a window mural design for Aspen Grove Shopping Center. Painted April of 2023.
Publications:
2024 Progenitor 2024 Vol. 59
Spotlight, pp.103
Postcard Anthology Spring 2024 Vol. 6
Shapeshift, pp.21
Exhibitions:
2020 Virtual Jeffco Art Show
Selected pieces from 2-D Design class viewable online during the Covid-19 lockdown.
2023 Aspen Grove Student Exhibition 2023
Collective show combining work of both 2D and 3D artists from Arapahoe Community College.
Shared Visions: Tactile Art Show, Colorado Gallery of the Arts
Collaborative Show with the Colorado Center for the Blind.
2024 Processing Time, Colorado Gallery of the Arts
4-D collaborative class show exploring the dynamic intersection of time and artistic expression.
Fun Home Interpretation and Illustration
Solo exhibition in Aurora’s Vintage Theatre lobby. Exhibition consisted of illustrations, paintings, and sketches completed during my run playing Medium Alison in the Musical Fun Home.
Aspen Grove Student Exhibition 2024
Collective show combining work of both 2D and 3D artists from Arapahoe Community College.
Capstone, Colorado Gallery of the Arts
Final accumulative show for Arapahoe Community College graduating Studio Art students.
Biomimicry, Jantzen Gallery at ACC
Collaborative ceramics installation partnered with the Arapahoe Community College Biology Program. Installed piece “Carbohydrates.”
Skills: Illustration, oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting, doll making, printmaking, set painting, and mural painting. Basic knowledge of Adobe suite, digital illustration, drafting (vectorworks) and procreate.