We recently connected with Hannah Rivera and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hannah , thanks for joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Taxidermy has always been a bit of a taboo topic. The oddities world gets a bad rep for being evil or devil worshippers. I believe that it’s usually quite the opposite. Many artists I’ve come to know have been some of the kindest and most passionate people I have ever met. Their passion for the earth and their love for the living comes through in their work. Every piece is carefully curated and given the upmost respect. A lot of artists like myself are highly educated in conservation efforts and choose to only source their art using sustainable efforts. I myself have started to raise all my silkmoths in my own home, so I can tell my customers exactly where my specimens come from and how they are cared for.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
,I’m Hannah and I’m a 25 year old Entomology artist based out of Portland, OR. I’ve been doing entomology and antique restoration work for a little over a year now. I had always been pretty creative, in and out of the art room in highschool I had tried a lot of different medias. I really liked acrylic and charcoal. When I graduated and became an adult my creativity kinda got away from me. It wasn’t until I attended the Oddities and Curiosities expo where I discovered my love for Entomology art. I thought the idea was so beautiful, and I really liked the idea of combining antiques with the bugs. The idea of bug pinning was so foreign to me, and I never had considered it anything outside of scientific research, let alone an art medium. I already particularly enjoyed antique art and my work centers around finding and fixing antique vessels to place my bugs in. I prefer to only use these thrifted or vintage vessels in my work to be as sustainable as possible, but occasionally i will use modernized domes or globes for my work.
My inspiration is truly in the antique frames themselves. I feel deeply connected to the beauty and history of the frames you’ll find in my portfolio. The convex frames I use are all antique or vintage pieces, with dates ranging from the late 1800’s to the 1970’s. My colors, composition, and ideas all surrounding and highlighting the character these frames radiate. The bugs- of course, round out the thought process behind my work and why I do what I do. I believe that I’m giving these frames new opportunities. My art symbolizes New beginnings, a new journey. New life.
All of my floral work is also locally sourced, either grown from my house here in the valley or bought from local farmers in the area. You’ll see my 2-D art passion sometimes as well- through handmade watercolor backgrounds and the occasional sketches.
Because of the way I source my material, each and every piece I make is truly one of a kind!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Antique restoration is really near and dear to my heart. There is something so fascinating to me when I can find these old beaten up wooden frames – sometimes over 100 years old – and turn them into something new. It keeps history alive, keeps them out of landfills, and a new story begins. I hope that my art touches people in the way that it does myself, and we can all learn how to be a little more resourceful.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The people I meet along the way- hands down. When I decided to take my art seriously, and I started to engage and interact with the community around me, it really opened up my eyes. I have had the chance to meet so many wickedly awesome people since I’ve started Rivera’s Rarities! My fellow artists, my event organizers, and my customers. Even just the people that come by my booth on a market day and say “hey, this is awesome!” It’s just the coolest thing. It’s really brightened my horizons and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://riveras-rarities.square.site/?fbclid=PAY2xjawH-xDtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpj5lvZhiPvseseIQc0HmpngG-AICySRvx_CrAFQqhz_cDlfqltW8CdS4sg_aem_aoGn_SWk0w5jqmlSQZKmug
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riverasrarities?igsh=MTdiMTkyMGE1bHZxdw==
