About
Born and raised in St.Catharines Ontario, Rita has always displayed an artistic gift and a keen interest in science and exploring the natural world around her.
After a successful 20-year professional sales/technical career, Rita made a life decision to pursue a second career as an artist. In recent times Rita has also served 11 years on a local council but has now retired from this to provide more focus and time back to her art pursuits. Originally working in acrylics Rita has recently also taken on watercolours, including techniques required for watercolour on canvas, which allows the display of the paintings without glass.
Even though the focus of her formal education was academic in nature, throughout her life, art studies and a love of art have always played an integral part. During her degree studies at Brock University, Rita was accepted to attend the Life Drawing program offered by the University, based on a review of her personal portfolio. Already accomplished at needlepoint, Rita’s grandmother Laura Webster, whom she never knew, realized a life-long dream and began painting in the last 2 years of her life. Times were tough following the depression era and she painted on whatever materials that she could find such as boxes, glass and scrap boards. Rita and her family treasure these few works, that are remarkably similar to the style and focus of Rita‘s work.
Rita’s work has been accepted in numerous juried shows, and is already a treasured part of many private collections. Her painting “Autumn Trails” was awarded the Juror’s Choice Award for ‘Best in Show’ for the ECOAA juried show in 2009. Currently, Rita is thrilled to be a new guest member of the Tweed and Area Studio Tour, offering acrylic and watercolour originals, as well as high quality “giclee” signed limited edition prints for most of her paintings.
Shows/Awards
- Quinte Arts Council – July 21 to August 14 2015, 36 Bridge St. E, Belleville, ON
- Painting “Spring Bear” Selected for banner on Bancroft Main Street – June 2011
- “Juror’s Choice” award for Best in Show, ECOAA, November 2009
- Bancroft Village Playhouse – Joint show – July 6 to Aug 21, 2004
- Art Gallery of Bancroft – Solo Show “Naturescapes”, June 2 to 27, 2004
- Poster Contest Winner, 2003 Silent Lake Art Festival with “Edge of the Mist”