Rigel

Born from a desert creature into the waves of the Pacific Ocean, carried on air currents to the Allegheny Plateau, Rigel currently nests in the last big curve of the Mon Valley, in Pittsburgh, PA. She grew up in Southern California, but has been a Pittsburgh transplant since 2007. She holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon, has exhibited work across the Rustbelt, and published her first book in February of 2019. Rigel draws heavily from the visual vocabulary of the natural and built environments of her youth in California and life in Pittsburgh. Inspirations include the bright colors of both cityscapes and ocean creatures, which cause optical flicker and confusion; patterns like scales and fur from creatures who shy away from human interaction, or the decaying surface details of manmade forms; and the traditions and artforms of her Mexican heritage. Like Alejibres (those brightly painted Oaxacan wood carvings) or Dia De Los Muertos, bright saturated colors are optically light and emotionally inviting, but often adorn and frame more heavy emotional aspects of the colorful celebrations. In both writing and painting, Rigel takes earnest gestures, simple colors, and everyday observations and expands them, lovingly, in scale and detail, affording a longer look and an intimate exploration of the many emotional currents that underpin together in brief moments. Some consistent themes that run through the works are Anxiety, Flow, Queer Bodies, Self-Reflection, and Tranquil Connection.