About Rita Maria

Hello! I’m Rita, an artist and illustrator creating a small, slightly peculiar world of cats, crows, and everyday moments that feel a bit more special.

My work ranges from oil paintings on canvas to tiny gouache and colored pencil drawings in my sketchbook series, Dear Cronies, a kind of visual diary filled with my two siamese cats, Patchouli and Pyewacket, along with other feathery and furry companions.

I’m especially drawn to crows. To me, they carry a quiet kind of intelligence and presence, symbols of intuition, curiosity, and confidence. They’re a subject I never seem to tire of, always offering something new to explore.

I graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design with a degree in illustration, and I’m currently represented by Sadler Gallery in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. While I continue to grow my work locally, my focus has always been on building a body of work that feels personal, honest, and connected.

My style has developed through daily practice, showing up, sketching, painting, and learning to let things be a little imperfect. The Dear Cronies pages, especially, are where I let myself be playful and observant, capturing small moments, moods, and stories as they come.

I love creating work that feels both familiar and a little unexpected, something that might make you smile, pause, or feel like you’ve stepped into a quiet, shared moment.

Thanks for being here

Rita