ABOUT RITA
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is about the complexities of life’s recurring trials and triumphs. At times there is a calling for a truce, a time to quietly view our personal history to find the sequences. It is not lost on me that the media I choose to work in, copper, has a malleable nature lending itself to endless manipulations and is porous enough to take a patina. Those qualities at the same time parallel my web of thoughts. Recycled or new, the flame of my oxy-acetylene torch can melt the metal into massive forms and with finesse I can add delicate components to the same piece. Balance learned over time has allowed me to explore and expand. Being an observer of natural and man-made patterns, I can see the interplay that happens. This fuels an endless supply of ideas to digest and contemplate as I venture into that silent space before committing my metal to a work of art. It is not a straightforward process by any means.
BIOGRAPHY
Rita grew up in Sandusky, OH, a small industrial town on the shores of Lake Erie. The geographic nature of her hometown was a resource of natural beauty, from the beaches to the tangled woods and farm fields. The high school she attended valued the arts and prized itself on a passionate faculty and state-of-the-art facilities.
It was here that Rita was introduced to jewelry, weaving, copper enameling and many other art forms. After she graduated, she continued her education under the guidance of a local silversmith and went on to make and sell her own fabricated jewelry.
She moved from her hometown to Athens, OH, and learned the craft of wild weave basket weaving. This technique combined with her metalsmithing skills played a role in her metal sculpture work when she moved to Austin, TX in 1983. Rita’s line of figurative sterling silver jewelry inspired her to explore large scale sculptures. The drive to know more about sculpture led her to Daryl G. Colburn, a renowned non-ferrous metal sculptor. She worked as his understudy from 1990 until 2003. Together they opened and managed galleries which promoted their works, as well as other local artists. With over 40 years of experience working in metal, she continues to make original sculptures and jewelry for corporate, as well as private collectors.
CV
2019 Cloud Tree Gallery, Austin TX
2016-2009 Your Private Collection Gallery, Granbury, TX
2013 Austin International Airport Exhibition / Creative Side Jewelry Academy
2011 Artmatters Gallery, New Braunfels, TX
2007-2006 JHS Gallery, Taos, NM
2006-2004 The Crossings, Austin, TX
2006-2004 Beyond Tradition, Austin, TX
2002-1996 Laughing at the Sun Gallery, Austin, TX
1994-1992 Sunset Gallery and Studios, Austin, TX
TX CORPORATE COMMISSIONS
2022 INTERNAL MOVEMENT 42"h x 62"w x 2"d TX Oncology Cancer Center Tyler, TX
2022 WIMBERLEY WHIRL 38"h x 42"w x 2"d
2016 BAT HAVEN 62" x 39"Hilton Homewood Suites, Austin
2011 LIVING WATERS CROSS 108”h x 72”w x3”d Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin
2008 ST LOUIS CROSS 48” x 41”w, St Louis Catholic Church, Georgetown
2008 EMBRACING THE JOURNEY 48”h x20”w x 10”d Contemporary Healthcare Austin
2005 SOLI DEO GLORIA CROSS 89"h x 41"w x 5"d First Evangelical Church Austin
2003 MOTHER AND CHILD32"h x 20"w x 8"d Dell's Children's Hospital, Austin
ART SHOWS
2023-2022 Bayou City Art Festival, Houston TX
2023-2022 Wimberley Art Festival,Wimberley TX
2023 Fiesta Art Fair San Antonio TX
2023-1995 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar Austin TX
2021 Bayou City Art Festival, Houston, TX
2021 Woodlands Waterways Art Festival, The Woodlands, TX
2020-2019 Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival, Albuquerque, NM
2019-2006 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, Austin, TX
2019 Umlauf Sculpture Garden, Texas Society of Sculpture (TSOS), Coordinator/Exhibitor
2019 Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival: Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque, NM
2019 Rockport Art Festival, "Best in Category", Rockport, TX
2019 SculptFest, City of Round Rock, TX
2019 Ruidoso Art Festival, "Best in Class", Ruidoso, NM
2018 Las Artistas Art and Fine Craft Show, El Paso, TX
2017 Travis Heights Art Trail, Austin, TX
2017 Las Artistas Art and Fine Craft Show, El Paso, TX
2017 Deep Ellum Arts Festival Dallas TX
2017 Bayou City Arts Festival, Houston TX
2017-2015 Exhibition Ann Kitchen D5 Office, Austin City Hall
2016 People's Gallery at City Hall, Austin, TX
2016 Art City Austin, Austin, TX
2012 Laguna Gloria Holiday Show, Austin, TX
2006 Texas Metal Arts Show, Guerne, TX
2006 Loveland Sculpture Invitational, Loveland, CO
2006 Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque, NM
2005 Texas Metal Arts Show, Guerne, TX
2005 Rockport Art Festival, Rockport, TX
2004 Rockport Art Festival, “Best In Media” Rockport, TX
PERSONAL GALLERIES
2023-2006 Thornton Road Studio L, Austin, TX
2010-2006 Santa Fe Studio Santa Fe NM
2002-1996 Laughing at the Sun Gallery, Austin, TX
2002-1997 Made in the Shade Studio, Austin, TX
JEWELRY / SCULPTURE INSTRUCTION
2020-2012 The Creative Side Jewelry Academy, Austin, TX
2020-2018 Flite Acres Ranch Sculpture Workshops
2018 Argentium Certified Instructor (AIC)
2012-2005 Thornton Road Studios, Austin, TX
2008 Jewelry Fabrication - Workshop for Olverian School, Santa Fe, NM
2008 Laguna Gloria Summer Program Jewelry/ Sculpture, Austin, TX
2002-1997 Jewelry Fabrication - Made in the Shade Studio, Austin, TX
Photos courtesy of Brenda Ladd
