Rita earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Eastern Michigan University, where she specialized in watercolor compositions and developed a unique style of painting that has become the signature of her work. Her free-flowing minimal approach uses the white of the paper to add sparkle and clarity to her compositions, engaging the viewer to use their own imagination to participate in the creative process.
Rita’s work quickly gained recognition after one of her watercolors, “Kalos Kosmos,” caught the eye of a New York artist judging the Michigan Watercolor Society’s Annual Water Color Exhibition, earning her an award for her work as a first-year student. Rita also attended the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, where she gained her fundamental art education and has worked in a variety of professions ranging from card design to technical illustrating. As a business owner, she designed and illustrated Spanish educational materials for children and created a children’s party package using her daughter’s childhood artwork.
Rita is an advocate of giving back to the community, and is a grand champion fundraiser for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s after her beloved husband, Henry Akao, passed away after a 12-year battle with Alzheimer’s. She lives in Reno, NV and has three adult children, David Leonardis, Amy Akao, and Gina Decker.
Today, Rita has the unique opportunity to create and sell Pop Art in her son’s gallery, the David Leonardis Gallery, in Wicker Park, Chicago. Her Pop Art portrays the softer side of Pop Art, and features images of modern-day comic book heroes.
Rita’s most recent watercolor landscapes are inspired by the natural beauty of Nevada. In her spare time, she photographs the beautiful Nevada landscape in her backyard and enjoys gardening, where she is inspired by the stunning beauty around her daily.
Rita’s vision is to place peaceful art on every blank wall in the world: “As an artist, I wish to create a healing environment with my watercolor peace prints. Beauty gives us hope to sustain and restore us to the endless possibilities of a new beginning.”
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