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Hello…It’s me. I’m Rita. I’m an artist living and working in Toronto, Canada. I thought introductions would be in order as I’ve been MIA lately. Here we are at the Spring equinox (a couple of days ago now) and I am still slowly, gently getting back into my art groove. I’ve been revisiting goals and dreams that I made last year, and tweaking them. Life has changed (certainly since the pandemic) but my last seven months have been a challenge. Last September I was blindsided and ended up in the hospital for a few days. I’m not one to share such personal information so I’ll just say it was serious, and it’s taken me a good seven months to get here. The healing process has been slow and I’m looking forward to the day when I can really put this all behind me.

We’ve all dealt with so much since the pandemic began and continues in one form or another. We’ve all had to pivot and learn to adapt. The last seven months have been a roller coaster of emotions for me, especially the first few weeks after I returned home from the hospital. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching and have made many changes. I dropped old habits and perspectives that weren’t serving me well and took up new healthy habits. Exercising and walking daily are now a priority. I’ve taken up journalling (art journaling and writing)  and started a meditation practice. And dare I say,  positive affirmations are now a thing I do daily.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because as I’ve evolved so has my art. I cannot begin to describe how excited I feel when I begin a new painting. It’s such a feeling of exhilaration, joy, and gratitude. I think of the infinite possibilities when I see that big expanse of fresh white canvas. My colour choices are fresh and bright. My marks are more expressive. I revel in my newfound freedom of expression. Pink is a colour that I’ve been drawn to for a while now and it’s been showing up in many of my new paintings. Funny enough, I bought the scarf that I’m wearing in the photo before Pantone announced their colour of the year. Viva Magenta! It’s such an optimistic colour, don’t you think?

As I’m writing this, the sun is streaming into my home/studio and even though I live downtown in the heart of the city, I can hear birds chirping in the maple tree outside our primary bedroom. Perhaps I even have a touch of spring fever. Feeling grateful that I’ve found a rainbow after the storm.

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