Art is a vocation Catalina has developed throughout her life. Growing up in her stepfathers sculpture studio in Miami, Florida, she was nurtured by art from a young age. Throughout her adolescent years she attended creative arts schools, majoring in costume design, during which time she gained an apprenticeship with the O’Reilly Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Cultural District. During this period she also discovered an affinity for photography and joined the Manchester Craftmen’s Guild Apprenticeship Training Program. In this program she honed in on expressive and creative photography techniques and processing.

In 2012 she graduated with her B.S. from The Art Institute majoring in Advertising with a minor in Graphic Design. She then began her first solo-venture Rivera Creative Studio, specialising in art direction and brand management; while simultaneously producing art by commission. This later led to Catalina expanding her business into the curation and overseeing of art installations and exhibitions for herself, as well as for fellow artists and organisations.

Always wanting to live internationally, Catalina moved to China in 2015 till 2021, during which time she travelled throughout Asia, learning about different cultures and utilising those experiences as inspiration for her art. In this time she took part in multiple gallery shows throughout China, creating murals and artworks, still on display in Shanghai, Suzhou and Guangzhou. She simultaneously worked freelance aiding in the art direction for tech and crypto multinational corporations headquartered in China and Singapore.

After completing a certification in World Art History with the Smithsonian Institution in 2021, Catalina, having a desire to grow her understanding of the care and handling of rare works, pursued her M.A. in Art History and Curation from the University of Birmingham in England. During this time she co-curated an exhibition at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, in collaboration with the Royal Collection Trust, utilising His Majesty the King’s collection of masterpieces by Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer.

Since completing her M.A. in 2023 Catalina has been living and working in London, creating artworks, and participating in group art shows. She has been expanding her knowledge and recourses by taking courses in Art Business and Appraisal Determination within Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses. She has also used her time in the United Kingdom to travel throughout Europe and West Asia, collecting experiences and inspiration to wield in her art.

Catalina’s hobbies include writing, reading, tennis, travel and creating. Her goal is to share and challenge the many views in the ever changing world of art.