About the Artist

Nina Rivera was born in 1994 in Tampa, Florida. She received her BFA in 2016 from the University of Tampa with a concentration in drawing. Nina enjoys reading, writing, creating musical playlists, and traveling, all of which often inspire her art. She also loves to take walks through forests and beaches where she has acquired a collection of animal bones, seashells, and other curiosities, many of which she plans to utilize in future pieces. The current love of her life is her Toy Poodle, Roxy, who serves as a wonderful model when Nina decides to take photographs.

Artist Statement

My art has always revolved around animals, but rarely are my illustrations simply depictions of any earthly species. The creatures I draw have human-like sapience and sentience, names, personalities, histories, relationships with other beings, themes, and ongoing stories. These characters and their journeys, both past and present, are explored in my artwork. Many of my characters are hybrids, the result of my love for mixing and combining different features of animals and even insects.

The majority of my characters carry a piece of me, whether it is a personality trait that I possess, an issue I have struggled with, or an appearance influenced by a dream or experience I had. Placing pieces of myself in my characters helps me bond with them, understand them, and relate to them, which in turn encourages and motivates me to develop them further.