the couple left los angeles in 1969, alternating their time between new york and toronto (which would continue until 1975) and the demand for her work increased. in new york, galleries were purchasing entire series’ of 100 prints outright. one day in 1971 someone suggested she might obtain a better effect on her long lines/rays if she used an airbrush; hesitant at first, she began using it more and more, then eventually used it all of the time. she found that airbrush brought her something new, something that neither oil, nor acrylic, nor the millions of lines she had made in the 1970s had succeeded in bringing her. the popularity of her work continued with many public and private commissions for large scale works and murals including one covering the top six stories of the neill-wycik college residence at ryerson university in toronto, the first of its kind in canada. she was also commissioned to design a huge colored skylight for the ceiling of glencairn (ttc) subway station in toronto entitled “joy”; it was eventually removed at rita’s request because the panels had faded after being exposed to many years of sunlight.