I love to doodle. Doodling is something that just happens for me. All through school and later throughout my career, my notebooks were adorned with drawings. Sometimes, it’s even a little embarrassing. Just glance at any of my meeting notes. There are more doodles than notes. But doodling – believe it or not- keeps me focused. Usually. Until I so love a doodle that it takes over my attention (and maybe even a little of my life).
In mid 2013, my doodling gained a new dimension – I discovered that the note taking app for my iPad – the type that allows you to write your notes using a stylus or your finger – made for wonderful doodling. Doodling – always good – got WAY better! Not long afterwards, the first “Tree-Person” emerged from my notes. See above. The Tree Series was born. As it grew, it needed a place to live, and LR Creations came into being. LR is the nickname my husband gave me and stands for “Little Rita” – our way of referring to my “inner child.” Since then, I’ve “branched out,” exploring other art media (watercolors, acrylics, pastels), subject matter, and designs. You can see some of them in “Galleries” on this website and at my Etsy store.
My other life – On a professional level, I am a semi-retired nonprofit professional. Over the course of my career, I have served in various areas of nonprofit administration, including Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. I am a licensed CPA and recently earned my certification as a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®). I’ve worked most of my life and enjoyed doing so, so we’ll see how this retirement thing goes. I have re-emerged in consultant form on a limited basis, and I’m staying involved through volunteer work, various hobbies, and of course, working on LR Creations and The Tree Series. I’m actually getting a little too busy…
I care deeply about the work that our nonprofit communities do, especially in the areas of giving people the tools they need to improve their situations, arts and education (more tools), and the environment. So I am happy to designate a portion of the proceeds from The Tree Series to charities supporting children’s art and conservation efforts – a perfect fit for the tree people. I also donate a portion of the proceeds from my other work to appropriate charities.
Finally, I am very happily married and live in Tyler, Texas with my husband, Fritz and our two black labs, Sadie and Fred.
Enjoy!
LR