New Savannah artist Julio Cotto Rivera explores expressionism through pop culture imagery

Julio Cotto Rivera is a newer artist to the area and is already causing quite a stir with his work and style since moving to Savannah. Rivera, who is of Puerto Rican descent, sat down with Do Savannah to give us a sneak peek of his new work and talk about his creative process and his new home here in Savannah.

Rivera began his professional artistic career at 15-years-old when he inked and wrote several comics for the independent label, Bugged-Out Comics. His distinctive and bold style, inclusive of soft lines and a surprising use of colors and figures has developed by his experience in graphic design, comics and illustrative art, as well as in poetry.

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Share with us how you got started in the art world?

Cotto: "My grandfather was a photographer and image re-toucher. He was an oil painter as well in the 80s. Back then, he was a big fan of television. He loved the 'Star Trek' series and all that kind of stuff that was popular: Buck Rogers, 'Battlestar Galactica' and he painted them all. His work was super intricate, all the spaceships and planets and stuff. I was a child and I sat next to him admiring his work. He would sit me next to him with paper and pencils and I would also draw things like Snoopy and Ziggy and all those basic shapes, and me watching so closely.

"He was drawing these spaceships where you could see realistic work like glass surfaces and people who were in pools and playing tennis and the imagination of a little boy is pretty incredible. So, I think it helped my imagination at an incredibly young age."

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Are you formally trained in visual arts?

Cotto: "Except for what I learned watching others work, no. I'm pretty self-taught. I had an art teacher who failed me at school in art classes. I should have done like a C, and she failed me. It caused me to no longer take any more art lessons at that school. And then, years later, once I started getting attention in the art world while living in Charleston, the teacher and I bumped into each other, and she said: 'See?! The push was worth it.'"

Women and feminine figures are often represented throughout your work. Most of them are superhero like in nature; can you explain why?

Cotto: "I started by painting women's faces and bodies and that kind of thing. And then it developed into a more elaborate work. I'm also a poet, and I thought, I need my work to be a little more layered so sometimes I have a lot of things hidden in the work. There are hidden words sometimes that are upside down. But I think women have played an important role in my life, I grew up with a lot of them.

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"I was the only boy in the immediate (family) for a long time. I had a lot of cousins that I felt like I had to protect and I feel incredibly comfortable with women. I continue to honor and celebrate the female gender. My work is a mixture of expressionism and realism that evokes femininity, masculinity, love and my cultural roots through color. I also like to explore social themes and challenges through my art.

What brought you to Savannah?

Cotto: "The pandemic, I guess. My building sold where I lived for nine years, which is a blessing to live in one place for nine years. I lost my 11-year-old dog. It was sort of like a country song. I was also getting tired of the big cities and the hustle and bustle. I was ready for something new and for new energy and inspiration.

"Living in places like New York, I felt like all I did was work to pay rent and leaving me exhausted to work on my art. I was doing it all, acting, bartending, but my passion is painting. Working day-by-day in a city full of many miserable people because they themselves cannot follow their dreams and passion felt like a dead end."

Any plans for a future show and or exhibition?

Cotto: "I have a couple of shows in the works. I have one planned in the summer here in Savannah, as well as another one in Charleston. I want to have a show where I can take my time and create what I want because I have such a wide range.

"Some artworks are pop or modern art, and there is an idea originally and sometimes I can't remember what the original idea was so my theme continues to evolve and grow. I've also been doing some commissioned work from New York that keeps me busy. But eager to open an exhibition in Savannah."

You can follow the artist and keep up with upcoming events and exhibitions on Instagram at @cotto_rivera_art.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Julio Cotto Rivera talks new artwork, moving to Savannah GA