Alan Rivera paints a travelogue of Texas that is filled with love

Alan Rivera is a keen observer of American landscapes, maybe more so than the average person. Who else sees a Dollar Tree or a Mongolian restaurant and rushes to create a felt tip tribute to it? That’s the charm of Alan’s beautifully coloured illustrations that champion the architecture and roadside signage of Austin, Texas – where he is a resident artist at Sage Studio. Uninterested in shadows, shading or minuscule detailing, Alan celebrates geometric simplicity and our own emotional recall when seeing recognisable consumer brands. Whether it’s the Bucee’s logo set against a bright blue sky or a watercoloured rainbow above a shop literally called Rainbow, there’s a feeling of driving through Austin and gaining some kind of lived experience.

Creating an artistic travelogue of Austin, Alan renders strip malls, fast food joints and cityscapes with endearing clarity. These architectural drawings provoke nostalgia through colour and their bold linework, reminding us of looking through the car window as a child, inviting the viewer to think about the subtle visual poetry within familiar branding, architecture and city life. When it comes to what Alan has to say about this, he keeps it short and sweet. “I draw them because I like to go there.”