“The Rita”, as it has been dubbed, had its grand opening on Saturday, January 28th, 2012 at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside. “The Rita” is a massive expansion of the old Communication Arts Building, and from what I saw tonight it’s a massive improvement.

There were a lot of different activities and events going on throughout the event, including several different art exhibitions going on in the different galleries, as well as airbrush painting and live performances.

There was also printmaking demonstrations, and what you see above is sort-of an example of that. What we did was we had this pan filled with oil, then dunked and swirled in some color, and finally put a piece of paper in and wash it in water. Considering what little it took to make, I really like how it turned out. I might use it in some form as a background for future comics or something (especially since it looks so psychadelic). My friend and I worked with an airbrush as well, but I let him keep that considering he did quite a bit on that one.

All in all, “The Rita” is quite the nice expansion to UW-Parkside’s creative departments. I only wish it was there when I went, and I also wish I had my camera to take photos. Well, maybe I’ll put some up before the week is out, as I’m likely going to visit again.

Site Update: If you’ve seen the header bar recently, you’ll have noticed it’s less cluttered and more organized. I’ve placed the animations and books under a drop-down under portfolio to clear some space, plus they fit under portfolio anyway. I’m hoping to do some more with that when the time comes.

Edit: Here are a few pictures I took a few days after the event. Hope you enjoy.