What do collectors value most about this artist’s paintings?
This conversation with Lourdes Rivera, better known as LULU, provides an opportunity to understand the path of a painter whose story begins in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has led her through architecture, teaching, and ultimately to a full dedication to painting. She discusses the influence of growing up on an island full of light and colour, her early years of training under Master Painter Fran Cervoni, and how studying architecture provided her with the structure and foundation she still relies on when creating her work today.
She walks us through her evolution with different mediums, from pencil and charcoal to oil, acrylics, and mixed media, and explains why she coined the term “Impressionist Expressionism” to describe the way she blends impressionist observation with expressionist energy. It’s a way of working that lets her capture not just what the eye sees, but also what the mind holds onto.
In the interview, Rivera also shares the differences she notices between local and international audiences, what pushed her to leave architecture behind to paint full-time, and what it has meant to have her work acknowledged by MoMA and the Flamboyán Foundation. She reflects on the value of these milestones and how they have shaped her perspective on her role as an artist in Puerto Rico.
What comes through most is her drive to keep growing and experimenting, whether that’s by exploring new materials on canvas or by organising group shows that bring artists and audiences together. Her story is one of discipline, curiosity, and a clear desire to keep building on every stage of her journey.
Lourdes Rivera is a featured artist in our book, “Art and Woman 2025” You can explore her journey and the stories of other artists by purchasing the book here:
https://shop.artstoheartsproject.com/products/art-and-woman-edition-
Graduated Master Architect, Lourdes Rivera, -LULU born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, a bright and colourful island in the Caribbean, which has chiefly inspired and defined the particular colour expression of the artist’s palette and technique. Trained since childhood under the guidance of Master Painter Fran Cervoni, I began with pencil drawing, then progressed to Charcoal, and finally to oil painting, which deepened my passion for the art. Painting since then, and later studying Architecture and Music. Architecture, as a multidisciplinary field, provides the design fundamentals and a solid base to create everything after conceptualising, with cohesion and harmony, achieving a mature artwork. In recent years, I have been more actively painting, experimenting with new materials, mediums, and techniques, ranging from Figurative, Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, to Fully Conceptual Abstracts.
Have held Collective and Solo EXPOS; TV interviews; received grants dedicated to selected Artists from the Flamboyan Foundation for Arts in Puerto Rico, (philanthropists: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Mike Bloomberg); working as an Independent Artist, including Special Commissioned Artworks. Lourdes Rivera, also known as LULU, is active in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she works diligently to expand her technique and incorporate new and exciting elements into her work. Passionate about Painting, she has a hunger for growing in format, developing her own style: the ” Expressionist Impressionism “, [or “Impressionist Expressionism”], in her indistinguishable colourful palette, which is her stamp and unequivocal mark. She has developed a very personal representative technique based on observation and on what the brain captures (what she identifies as the brain’s “interpretation templates”). So she tries to represent in her Work what the eye and mind really grasp from life around: a kind of compromise between the “infinite dimension of the mind interpretation” and the “finite physical reality”.
Started exhibiting Individually and also Collectively; then selling Paintings and some of her Collectors have repeated purchasing (preferring her among their favorites Artists); participating in International online Art Contests; her technique and use of materials has also evolved from oil painting, to acrylics, mixed media; texture mediums, alcohol inks, resin, pastels, cheese cloth, etc.; and also works Figurative, Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and her “Impressionist Expressionism”; experiments with more media and bigger format. Her starting point in every Painting is the depth, and then, playing with colours and shapes provoking Synesthesia and Pareidolia as natural conditions in the human mind and eye, being colour the vehicle to achieve and communicate, also intending to evoke healing sensations, since she coins as a personal postulate to deal with Good and Beauty absolutely.
1. Growing up in San Juan and studying architecture in Puerto Rico, how has that environment influenced the way you approach painting today?
San Juan, Puerto Rico, is indeed “The Island of Enchantment”, as is well known, because of its tropical and colourful brightness, which is why my Colour Palette. Architecture has provided a solid foundation for learning the fundamentals of the Arts, enabling my conceptualisation and expanding my creative exploration of techniques and pictorial subjects with a mature approach, utilising shapes, balance, background, and the cohesion of themes represented. Besides, travelling experiences have been a great complement to expand those rich tools.
Studying architecture gave me a strong foundation in design, balance, and cohesion, which I now bring into my approach to painting.
Lourdes Rivera
2. You coined the term “Impressionist Expressionism” for your work. What does this way of painting allow you to explore that other approaches do not?
Expressionist Impressionism, or “Impressionist Expressionism”, allows me to superimpose one technique over the other to bring life to those expressions, rather than leaving them as a simple, colourful, abstract mix. One supports the other. Expressionism gives movement and brightness to the already alive motifs captured by Impressionism.
3. Having exhibited both in Puerto Rico and internationally, what differences do you notice in how audiences connect with your work in different places?
I’ve noticed a significant difference in the interest in my art between my home audience and international audiences. My audience has firsthand experience and is fascinated by it; they recognise me, but they aren’t very keen on buying art. On the other hand, my international achievements also validate my career among my local audience. They recognise the quality of my work more quickly and easily internationally than those close to me. My participation in international competitions brings me closer to art connoisseurs, and not just to be in the news, as is the case with many here.
4. Your career path moved from architecture into teaching and later into painting full-time. What was the turning point that made you focus entirely on painting?
In reality, I began savouring art as a child, painting and visiting museums, and it was a fitting introduction to my later studies in architecture and professional practice. Architecture, being one of the fine arts and a multidisciplinary field, prepared me with the fundamentals of art and provided me with a comprehensive training in design and conceptualisation. After practising architecture professionally for many years, I decided to evolve in my life and moved to develop entirely in painting.
With my discipline so structured, I was able to work as an art teacher, enjoying the process of sharing my talents and seeing how students applied my recommendations and achieved their own goals. Currently, I strive to achieve goals in my painting that are sometimes perceived as a distant dream, but I aim to turn them into reality. Throughout my life, I have switched from one practice to another because I firmly believe that life goes through stages that must be developed to the maximum potential, and each one has its own time.
“Expressionist Impressionism lets me layer one technique over another so that they support each other, giving life and movement to the motifs I capture.
Lourdes Rivera
5. Several institutions, including MoMA and the Flamboyán Foundation, have recognised your work. How do these acknowledgements shape the way you see your role as an artist in Puerto Rico?
MoMA and the Flamboyan Foundation have recognized my work, (upon revision of my work, MoMA granted me with the Artist Access Card to the Museum; and the Flamboyan Foundation for the Arts, granted me during the pandemic after a juried selection with a grant for Artists in Puerto Rico), and these validations of the quality of my work contribute to my confidence in my ability to achieve international recognition truly. These recognitions are also crucial to me in Puerto Rico because they support my authority at every art event and, in turn, add value to my artistic career in Painting, in addition to my Master’s Degree in Architecture.
6. You often coordinate group exhibitions alongside presenting your own work. What motivates you to take on this collective role within the arts community?
I recognise that I can coordinate events that bring together movements I master, and specifically, when it comes to artists, I leverage my contacts with different institutions to manage these events. I do so independently of organisations; I set the rules, seeking the greatest common good for all: the artists, the venue, and myself as well. I enjoy it immensely because I do so by spreading good spirits, wishes, and enjoyment of art to my fellow artists. The result of these events has been one in which even the general public who have attended the openings have enjoyed and admired the organisation and the quality of the exhibitions. I also manage to have these events published in digital media and magazines throughout the country.
What we take away from Lourdes Rivera’s journey is that her art is about colour, energy, and the dialogue between what is seen and what is imagined. By coining “Impressionist Expressionism,” she has found a way to combine two approaches, so that each strengthens the other, turning observation into something that feels dynamic and full of movement.
Her story illustrates how the structure of architecture, the patience of teaching, and the freedom of painting have all contributed to shaping who she is today. More than anything, her path shows a commitment to growth, exploration, and sharing beauty with those who encounter her work.
To learn more about Lourdes, click the following links to visit her profile.
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