2021, Rita was awarded 1st Place Ribbon for Lydia Joy in the Light of Christ and a Merit Ribbon for Sharing a Joke: A Guatemalan Mother and Daughters at the Color Splash Exhibition at Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts,Colorado.

2022, Rita was awarded Sponser's Ribbon for Fruit Vendor  at the TLCA . She continues to exhibit regularly and takes commissions.

References

Richard Reynolds

Black Forest Retreat, Colorado Springs

Jeannie & Rita have painted a number of murals for us here at our venue here in black forest. There is no one else we would rather recommend then their team of artists. It is very rare that you can find a pair of artists who can not only work together, but do so with a passion and professionalism that is beyond comprehension. Their work stands them apart from the competition, as does their work ethic and attention to detail. Some might say I myself am hard to work for, only because I expect a high level of quality, as well as a very specific vision in mind. They were willing to work with me and it has paid off, the masterpieces that they have created have been complemented, time and time again, by the many thousands of visitors we get on a monthly basis. They always clean up after themselves and seem to leave the area cleaner then the day they walked in. So if you are asking me if they are good enough for any task, then the answer is yes. I have had them do projects over 1500 sqft to under 500 sqft and they do them all with same attention to detail and passion as the last one. Jeannie and Rita truly love what they do, and if you choose them I know that the mural you get will be as good if not better quality then my own. I have no doubts that our team hired the right team. Going forward all of our projects will be first offered to Jeannie and Rita. Thanks again ladies we can not be happier with everything you have done. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions, I would be happy to share more about their quality of work. 

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Jim Bailey Principal for Grades 9-12

Mario Romero Principal for Grades 7-9

Andie Ruskin Principal for Grades PK-5

Discovery Canyon Campus, Colorado Springs

I am writing this letter in support of Rita Carswell and Jeanne Villacorta’. They are the most amazing mural painters and even more amazing people. I was lucky enough to meet them in 2007 when I was on the design advisory group involved in building our Pre-K through 12 grade public school in Academy District 20. We are located on 84 acres in Flying Horse subdivision off I25 and Northgate. We hosted an international competition to design our campus and we selected the architects of Antoine Predock as the winner of the design competition. We are a very unique and our campus that has been made even more amazing by the ART WORKS of these two artists. I raise the money and our kids work with the artists to create beautiful “teaching spaces”. Our murals feature a variety of themes and I would LOVE to show you around. The first mural in 2007 was an MC Escher style mural in the Math and Science hallway. Here the squares tessellate into diamonds and morph and change into aircraft and then finally into Artic Wrens. The birds are migratory so two seasons are featured at either end of the mural. Our campus over all THEME is Space and Aviation.
The second mural the artists created is located in our high school STEM hallway near the campus commons (cafeteria). This mural spans 3 entire walls and is a visual timeline of space and aviation history starting in 1000bc and goes until 2008. This incredible timeline features 48 images in our space and aviation history. The mural starts with a man being strapped to a kite and ends with the USA space station. The space station alone was 88 hours of painting. Our students use this mural each year as part of their curriculum. We also did a set of murals featuring the four seasons of Colorado and they are in large area at the base of the stairwell under the art bridge. These four murals cover multiple walls. The “Seasons” all help our students visualize various places in Colorado and teach students about where they live. The Calypso Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls, Falcons, choke cherry bushes, Garden of the Gods, Red Rocks amphitheater, Manitou cliff dwellings, Paradise Cove and many more local destinations are all the images my students and the artists and I chose to teach our students about the community where they live. All the “Seasons” include Aspen Trees to represent one root system, One Campus and one goal… Student Success. We also have Aspen Murals in each level of the campus. The elementary school has an aspen mural with fall season represented. The middle school has the summer’s season and the “Four Seasons” is painted in the high school.
Their work is professional and gorgeous! These gals have an incredible work ethic and their talents abound. They have also done a “River Runs Through” Mural and a “Visible Spectrum of Light” mural. Each time we take on a project, the students research what we want the mural to say. The students’ research images and then after taping and priming the walls, the students help project the images onto the walls for tracing. The students are then taught to block in the colors. The muralists are such incredible humans and they have enriched all of us with their talents and their time and care. They completed 3 murals for us last year. The River Runs Through features a relationship between a father and son. The students wrote essays about the River mural and how it represents our campus and the relationships we build on our school campus. Another mural completed last year was painted up on the 5th level of the campus in the Math Department. It features the Manitou incline and many nebula and mathematical formulas in space. The third mural that was completed last year is a mural on my floor! The floor mural “Embracing the Challenge Together” is a mural of a middle school aged rock climber climbing out of outer space. The students is grasping rocks and climbing out of the hole in the floor. All of this is a perspective illusion that our students really love!

I highly recommend these artists for your mural project. I sent them the information so they could apply. They live local and raise their families here. They are hardworking and incredibly professional. They research their materials and make sure to seal all finished works. I have 10 completed mural since I met these artists. They have enriched our campus visually but enriched the lives of our students and staff even more immensely than they probably realize. They never cease to amaze all of us at DCC with their talents. They have always been easy to work with and flexible with their time. The integrity of their work speaks for itself. I highly recommend them for your project. I think you will be impressed with their talents and the sheer enormity of the work they have done for our campus since 2007. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Shell Acker 3-D Instructor, Discovery Canyon Campus

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Carol VanDyken
Trans World Radio (TWR)
Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean

I would highly recommend Rita Carswell and Jeannie Villacorta for mural design and implementation.
I worked with Rita and Jeannie on the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean on a mural on the side of our office building which measured 40 ft. x 30 ft. (1200 sq. ft.) This took two weeks, including many ten-hour days in the hot sun and well into the evenings.
They did amazing advance work. After researching the type of fish, sea life and underwater vegetation present in that area of the world, they prepared the design sketches on poster sized pieces of paper which they rolled up and brought with them.
Their work on site was detailed and precise, while at the same time they were flexible when changes to the plan were needed. The paint they used was high quality, which was very important to us for durability in the weather. They are accommodating and very pleasant to work with.
They were approached by other organizations on the island to do murals for them and were showcased in the local TV news and newspapers. Our team on Bonaire was highly impressed with their professionalism and talent and would eagerly work with them again.





Awards