She’s been ripping paper since a child. Rita is a talented collage artist who works tirelessly with her hands and fingers ripping paper mostly from magazines. With glue in her left hand, she adheres each piece of paper to a blank paper surface.
Most times the image is already in her head. On occasion, she lightly sketches out a rough image soon to be the end results. She “paints” with paper and delights in flipping through magazines looking for jut the “right” color to begin and end her creation. Preferring to work in the daylight, Rita works sitting on the edge of her bed in front of her easel. The Southwest natural light provides ample original light to illuminate the room. The world inside and outside are the impetus to her works of art. Some take weeks to complete while others are done within the hour. They are done when Rita decides their done.
Once completed, Rita brings the masterpiece downstairs to the kitchen table, laying the art work side upside down; she takes a rolling pin to the back of the art work to ensure a flat surface. Once that is done, the art work is turned upside and with her right hand she runs her fingers over the art to make sure each piece is securely adhered to the paper. If there is a loose piece now is the time to re-glue. Then with pen-in-hand, she applies her signature.
Rita’s earrings are hand-made from her metal art prints as wells as magnets, calendars, mini desk collage metal creations and quilts. She is always bringing to life new creations. Her website is filled with magical, mystical paper and cloth collage art always in progress.
Rita can be contacted at:
Email: rita.dioguardi@tufts.edu
Website: www.ritadioguardi.com/
I love your work…so colorful and clever..