Artist Bio

 

Alanna Rivera is a half El Salvadoran and half white artist born in and currently living in Arlington, Virginia. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish Literature from the University of Virginia in 2013 and her Master of Fine Arts in Community Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2017. Alanna works full-time as a fine artist and jewelry designer in the Washington, D.C. area and is an Artist Pro Tem at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town, Alexandria. She is the founder of the Cherrydale Holiday Art Market in Arlington, VA. 

​

Her dog's name is Isa (EE-sah) after author Isabel Allende. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

Artist Statement

​

Like many of us, I spent most of 2020-2022 at home or close to home. Living through a pandemic was frustrating and made me feel trapped with my own trauma. It pushed me to try new things and find new  ways to connect with people. I began learning to paint plein air, or paint outside, in  the summer of 2020 and I started making oil paintings of scenes or moments that I  found interesting or beautiful. These paintings helped me stay present and find small  moments of joy as the world stood still and now, as things are reopening, they help me find moments of peace in swirling uncertainty. 

​

My artwork until this point has been looking outward for moments of healing, as I have not felt stable enough to be able to look inward to dissect or analyze my trauma. My artwork in 2023 will focus on a raw and unfiltered look at the guilt, frustration, anger, sadness, fear, and curiosity I felt and still feel about an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship that I was in from the age of 14-19. 

​

Follow her on Instagram @ariverastudios

Email: mail@alannarivera.com