The Artist as Athlete

Before Rive entered the professional world of art she was in a completely different professional arena, that of the professional athlete.

She began her prestigious career at Granada Hills  High in Southern Calif where she subsequently was granted  a full scholarship to UCLA in 1975, the first year of the Title IX victory for equality for women in sport. After winning the National Championship in 1978 as co-captain with Annie Meyers, Rive went on to play professional ball in Germany, Holland and Italy.  Upon her return in 1981, Rive was drafted to The Milwaukee Does in The Women’s Basketball League (WBL), where she was named All-Pro and Rookie of the Year. 

When I was given the athletic scholarship to UCLA I needed to decide whether to divide my energy between Art and Athletics  I decided to focus 100 percent in athletics and take the ride as far as it would take me. It was a once in a lifetime experience, with travel throughout the United States and Europe.

Mostly though, what it gave me was a sense of the challenge of taking what god given talent I had been given and honing those talents through challenges that at times I did not think that I could withstand. Self doubt, physical injury,  unbelievable physical challenges and hours and hours of  practice , having to learn new skills by working everyday individually over and over until the skill became my own, second nature, ready to go out onto the court and let my instincts react in crucial seconds of a fast and furious game. 

It is the lessons that I learned in those exciting and challenging years that was the foundation for my present career as a working artist. I know that what it takes is to keep coming back to my canvas or stone or clay and I need simply to work, to put the love and vision that I feel for it and take the risk of putting a new brush stroke or laying down of the chisel in the stone and to trust that the painting or sculpture is waiting there for me as long as I just keep coming back.