Rita Mitchell Guile
education
1985 Associate of Arts, Commercial Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas.
1986 Fine Arts, Continuing Education Classes, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri.
1987 Industrial Design, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri.
professional experience
Senior Designer/Art Director, Hallmark Cards, 27 years, 1985 to 2012.
Associate Adjunct Design Instructor, Johnson County Community College, 1998-2001.
gallery representation
Cerbera Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
SNW Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas
solo exhibitions
2021 '6,214 Miles,' Earth Day commemoration and exhibition, SNW Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas.
2019 'Milkweed Pods and Landscapes,' SNW Gallery, Small Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas.
2017 'Life, Stories, Memories, and Painting,' Campanella Gallery, Park University, Parkville, Missouri.
2016 ScriptPro Corporate Headquarters, Mission Kansas, ArtsKC, Now Showing.
2016 Merrigan & Co., Kansas City, Missouri, ArtsKC, Now Showing.
2015 Burns and McDonnell, Kansas City, Missouri, ArtsKC, Now Showing.
selected juried/group exhibitions
2021 12 x 12 Member Show, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, Kansas
2021 Tangled Roots Exhibition, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, Kansas, curator Wolfe Brack.
2021 Real People, international, juried exhibition, Old Courthouse, Woodstock, Illinois.
2021 Her Art: Who Does She Think She Is?, InterUrban ArtHouse and UMKC Women's Center.
2020 Fall Small Works Show, Kansas City Stockyards Gallery.
2020 Tangled Roots Virtual Exhibition, Interurban Arthouse.
2020 Resilience, Reflection, Rebuilding: Artists Respond to Covid-19, Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center.
2020 Connections, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2020 Who Does She Think She Is? Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, Kansas.
2020 Celebration, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2019 State of the Arts, R.G. Endres Gallery, Prairie Village, Kansas.
2019 Femme? An exhibition of works by women, Smalter Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri.
2019 ArtsKC with the Box Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri.
2019 12x12 Community Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, Kansas.
2019 Her Art: Who Does She Think She Is? Interurban Arthouse and UMKC Women's Center.
2019 Women’s Works, 32nd Anniversary, Celebrating Women’s Creativity, Woodstock, Illinois.
2019 Ta Da! Inspire; Beautiful Light; Hope, Healing, Wellness; and Celebration Exhibitions Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2018 ISAP, International Society of Acrylic Painters Juried Online Exhibition.
2018 River Market Regional Exhibition, KCAC, Kansas City, Missouri, Juror: Saralyn Reece Hardy, Director, Spencer Museum.
2018 Faces: Portraits by Kansas City Artists, curated by Robert Quackenbush, Michael Smith Restaurant, Kansas City, Missouri.
2018 SNW Presents 2018, Strecker Nelson West Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas.
2018 People And Places, Strecker Nelson West Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas.
2018 40th Anniversary Commemorative Project, Invitational, Salina Art Center, Salina, Kansas.
2018 Bloom, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2018 Equality Matters: Conversations on Gender and Race, William Woods University, Fulton, Missouri.
2017 Mini Masterpieces Exhibition, Artists Workhouse, Studley, Warwickshire, UK.
2017 Regeneration Exhibition, Artists Workhouse, Studley, Warwickshire, UK.
2017 Making Your Mark, Providence Art Club: Juror: Kathryn Wat of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
2017 Reflections on 2016, Juried Art Exhibiton, Kelwood Contemporary, Baton Rouge, Louisianna.
2017 Arti Gras, Leawood Arts Council, Leawood, Kansas.
2017 10 × 10 Small Works Showcase, ArtsKC Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri.
2017 Kansas City Artist Coalition at Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2016 Chasing Ghosts, International Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, Oregon.
2016 Providence Art Club, Providence, Rhode Island, Juror: Dominic Moon, RISD Museum.
2016 8th Annual Visions of the Flint Hills, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2016 Texas National, Stephen F. Austin University, Juror: Abelardo Morell.
2016 33rd Annual Live Art Auction, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, Missouri.
2015 Works On Paper, Beach Haven, New Jersey, Juror: Carter E. Foster, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City.
2015 State of the Arts, Prairie Village Arts Council, Prairie Village, Kansas, Juror: Larry Thomas.
2015 Tributary, International Competition and Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, Oregon.
2015 ReTree, Steamboat Arts Council, Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
2015 Women’s Works, 28th Anniversary, Celebrating Women’s Creativity, Woodstock, Illinois.
2014 Spring Invitational, Eva Reynolds Fine Art Gallery, Overland Park, Kansas.
2014 The Living Mark, International Competition and Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, Oregon.
2014 6th Annual Visions of the Flint Hills, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2014, 29th Louisville Art Association, Louisville, Colorado.
2014 After Dark III, Greg Moon Art Gallery, Taos, New Mexico.
2011 Its Personal, Hallmark with Spenser Museum, Juried Exhibition, Leedy-Voulkas Art Center, Kansas City, Missouri.
awards and publications
2017 Kansas City Star Events: Rita Guile Art Exhibit, Park University, Campanella Gallery.
2017 The Stylus, A Student Publication Of Park University, reporter Cheyenne McGinnis.
2017 Kansas City Voices, a periodical of writing and art, Volume 14.
2017 Providence Journal, Contemporary women artists wrap up Providence Art Club's celebration of women,
Channing Gray, 4/12/2017.
2017 Ekphrastic Review: writing and art writing, 2/7/17.
2016 KC STUDIO, Meet The ArtsKC Artists, September/October 2016 Volume VIII, issue 5.
2015 Whispering Prairie Press, 1st Place Award Winner, Kansas City Voice’s Annual Art and Literature Awards.
2015 Kansas City Voices, a periodical of writing and art, Volume 13.
2014 Taos News, Bold Contrasts in Taos Art, Judith Rane, Sunday, June 15, 2014.
bio
Rita Guile is a fine art painter and lives in the Kansas City Metro area. She grew up in Moline, Illinois and moved to Kansas in 1975. After graduating from an intense two-year program in graphic design, Rita was chosen as the intern for Hallmark's Sales Promotion. Later she became a Hallmark product designer, achieving the level of Senior Designer. She enjoyed many opportunities at Hallmark, such as research trips to London, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, along with trips to Dallas, Winston-Salem and New England (a two week photo shoot for Christmas cards). She also enjoyed many fun Hallmark trips to Chicago and New York City. Family travels to the Northeast, the Southwest and trips to Ireland also have influenced her work. Rita has always been a colorist and shared her expertise with other Hallmark designers by conducting classes and workshops. She art directed the program launch of the Maya Angelou, Life Mosaic card and gift line, another Hallmark opportunity. She has exhibited her work in many galleries and in international juried exhibitions. Her paintings are in numerous private collections in the USA and the UK.
statement
"Artists have no choice but to express their lives.” I believe this quote from Anne Truitt helps explain my compulsion to paint what is important to me. I observe the subtle and minute qualities of my world and through the elusive painting process, the work evokes emotions and tells a story. Much of my work is devoted to nature, especially the bounty of trees. This quote represents my thoughts.
"Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder
in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf." ALBERT SCHWEITZER
An important narrative in my work is my concern for the oppression of women’s rights, escalating in 2016. The truth is that sexism still exists and poverty, violence, and inequality remain the plight of women and whatever effects women also affects their children. I have represented faces of sadness, incorporating symbols of oppression such as blinded eyes, a raised hand, and silenced mouths. It is my hope that women will receive the attention they deserve and that solutions to their plight will be found and no longer ignored.
For an introvert like me, home is a haven. Therefore, my paintings represent my personal narrative. After so many years in the corporate world, I no longer view domesticity as drudgery. I love the peace and freedom to pursue my work.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to work with flowers as a photo stylist for four of my twenty-seven year design career. I loved it and I have returned to this genre creating abstracted and expressive floral images. My newest series, '6214 Miles' demonstrates my concern for the climate crisis. In all of my work, I have expressed what matters in my life.
education
1985 Associate of Arts, Commercial Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas.
1986 Fine Arts, Continuing Education Classes, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri.
1987 Industrial Design, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri.
professional experience
Senior Designer/Art Director, Hallmark Cards, 27 years, 1985 to 2012.
Associate Adjunct Design Instructor, Johnson County Community College, 1998-2001.
gallery representation
Cerbera Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
SNW Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas
solo exhibitions
2021 '6,214 Miles,' Earth Day commemoration and exhibition, SNW Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas.
2019 'Milkweed Pods and Landscapes,' SNW Gallery, Small Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas.
2017 'Life, Stories, Memories, and Painting,' Campanella Gallery, Park University, Parkville, Missouri.
2016 ScriptPro Corporate Headquarters, Mission Kansas, ArtsKC, Now Showing.
2016 Merrigan & Co., Kansas City, Missouri, ArtsKC, Now Showing.
2015 Burns and McDonnell, Kansas City, Missouri, ArtsKC, Now Showing.
selected juried/group exhibitions
2021 12 x 12 Member Show, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, Kansas
2021 Tangled Roots Exhibition, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, Kansas, curator Wolfe Brack.
2021 Real People, international, juried exhibition, Old Courthouse, Woodstock, Illinois.
2021 Her Art: Who Does She Think She Is?, InterUrban ArtHouse and UMKC Women's Center.
2020 Fall Small Works Show, Kansas City Stockyards Gallery.
2020 Tangled Roots Virtual Exhibition, Interurban Arthouse.
2020 Resilience, Reflection, Rebuilding: Artists Respond to Covid-19, Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center.
2020 Connections, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2020 Who Does She Think She Is? Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, Kansas.
2020 Celebration, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2019 State of the Arts, R.G. Endres Gallery, Prairie Village, Kansas.
2019 Femme? An exhibition of works by women, Smalter Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri.
2019 ArtsKC with the Box Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri.
2019 12x12 Community Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, Kansas.
2019 Her Art: Who Does She Think She Is? Interurban Arthouse and UMKC Women's Center.
2019 Women’s Works, 32nd Anniversary, Celebrating Women’s Creativity, Woodstock, Illinois.
2019 Ta Da! Inspire; Beautiful Light; Hope, Healing, Wellness; and Celebration Exhibitions Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2018 ISAP, International Society of Acrylic Painters Juried Online Exhibition.
2018 River Market Regional Exhibition, KCAC, Kansas City, Missouri, Juror: Saralyn Reece Hardy, Director, Spencer Museum.
2018 Faces: Portraits by Kansas City Artists, curated by Robert Quackenbush, Michael Smith Restaurant, Kansas City, Missouri.
2018 SNW Presents 2018, Strecker Nelson West Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas.
2018 People And Places, Strecker Nelson West Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas.
2018 40th Anniversary Commemorative Project, Invitational, Salina Art Center, Salina, Kansas.
2018 Bloom, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2018 Equality Matters: Conversations on Gender and Race, William Woods University, Fulton, Missouri.
2017 Mini Masterpieces Exhibition, Artists Workhouse, Studley, Warwickshire, UK.
2017 Regeneration Exhibition, Artists Workhouse, Studley, Warwickshire, UK.
2017 Making Your Mark, Providence Art Club: Juror: Kathryn Wat of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
2017 Reflections on 2016, Juried Art Exhibiton, Kelwood Contemporary, Baton Rouge, Louisianna.
2017 Arti Gras, Leawood Arts Council, Leawood, Kansas.
2017 10 × 10 Small Works Showcase, ArtsKC Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri.
2017 Kansas City Artist Coalition at Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2016 Chasing Ghosts, International Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, Oregon.
2016 Providence Art Club, Providence, Rhode Island, Juror: Dominic Moon, RISD Museum.
2016 8th Annual Visions of the Flint Hills, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2016 Texas National, Stephen F. Austin University, Juror: Abelardo Morell.
2016 33rd Annual Live Art Auction, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, Missouri.
2015 Works On Paper, Beach Haven, New Jersey, Juror: Carter E. Foster, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City.
2015 State of the Arts, Prairie Village Arts Council, Prairie Village, Kansas, Juror: Larry Thomas.
2015 Tributary, International Competition and Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, Oregon.
2015 ReTree, Steamboat Arts Council, Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
2015 Women’s Works, 28th Anniversary, Celebrating Women’s Creativity, Woodstock, Illinois.
2014 Spring Invitational, Eva Reynolds Fine Art Gallery, Overland Park, Kansas.
2014 The Living Mark, International Competition and Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, Oregon.
2014 6th Annual Visions of the Flint Hills, Buttonwood Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri.
2014, 29th Louisville Art Association, Louisville, Colorado.
2014 After Dark III, Greg Moon Art Gallery, Taos, New Mexico.
2011 Its Personal, Hallmark with Spenser Museum, Juried Exhibition, Leedy-Voulkas Art Center, Kansas City, Missouri.
awards and publications
2017 Kansas City Star Events: Rita Guile Art Exhibit, Park University, Campanella Gallery.
2017 The Stylus, A Student Publication Of Park University, reporter Cheyenne McGinnis.
2017 Kansas City Voices, a periodical of writing and art, Volume 14.
2017 Providence Journal, Contemporary women artists wrap up Providence Art Club's celebration of women,
Channing Gray, 4/12/2017.
2017 Ekphrastic Review: writing and art writing, 2/7/17.
2016 KC STUDIO, Meet The ArtsKC Artists, September/October 2016 Volume VIII, issue 5.
2015 Whispering Prairie Press, 1st Place Award Winner, Kansas City Voice’s Annual Art and Literature Awards.
2015 Kansas City Voices, a periodical of writing and art, Volume 13.
2014 Taos News, Bold Contrasts in Taos Art, Judith Rane, Sunday, June 15, 2014.
bio
Rita Guile is a fine art painter and lives in the Kansas City Metro area. She grew up in Moline, Illinois and moved to Kansas in 1975. After graduating from an intense two-year program in graphic design, Rita was chosen as the intern for Hallmark's Sales Promotion. Later she became a Hallmark product designer, achieving the level of Senior Designer. She enjoyed many opportunities at Hallmark, such as research trips to London, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, along with trips to Dallas, Winston-Salem and New England (a two week photo shoot for Christmas cards). She also enjoyed many fun Hallmark trips to Chicago and New York City. Family travels to the Northeast, the Southwest and trips to Ireland also have influenced her work. Rita has always been a colorist and shared her expertise with other Hallmark designers by conducting classes and workshops. She art directed the program launch of the Maya Angelou, Life Mosaic card and gift line, another Hallmark opportunity. She has exhibited her work in many galleries and in international juried exhibitions. Her paintings are in numerous private collections in the USA and the UK.
statement
"Artists have no choice but to express their lives.” I believe this quote from Anne Truitt helps explain my compulsion to paint what is important to me. I observe the subtle and minute qualities of my world and through the elusive painting process, the work evokes emotions and tells a story. Much of my work is devoted to nature, especially the bounty of trees. This quote represents my thoughts.
"Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder
in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf." ALBERT SCHWEITZER
An important narrative in my work is my concern for the oppression of women’s rights, escalating in 2016. The truth is that sexism still exists and poverty, violence, and inequality remain the plight of women and whatever effects women also affects their children. I have represented faces of sadness, incorporating symbols of oppression such as blinded eyes, a raised hand, and silenced mouths. It is my hope that women will receive the attention they deserve and that solutions to their plight will be found and no longer ignored.
For an introvert like me, home is a haven. Therefore, my paintings represent my personal narrative. After so many years in the corporate world, I no longer view domesticity as drudgery. I love the peace and freedom to pursue my work.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to work with flowers as a photo stylist for four of my twenty-seven year design career. I loved it and I have returned to this genre creating abstracted and expressive floral images. My newest series, '6214 Miles' demonstrates my concern for the climate crisis. In all of my work, I have expressed what matters in my life.