By HAROLD VALENTINE

Some know him as Dr. Doodle, others as R. Francis. To put it plainly, his first name is Ron and his last name is Hutchinson. As an artist and a business man, however, he likes to keep his identities separate.

Hutchinson came to South Tampa eight years ago. Since then, he said he has lived the classic American dream of having very little to having very much.
That’s why, he said, he has given to numerous charities in Tampa, including time and effort to Richy’s Rascals, a charity formed by the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Brad Richards.

Hutchinson is the owner of Dr. Doodle Inc., a business focusing on murals and finishes of all sorts, including the Doodle’s specialty Venetian plaster.
The business’ work spans nationwide with projects ranging in price from $500 to $100,000. Hutchinson, 40, said he rarely has free time and gets three to four calls a day for finishing services, mostly coming from South Tampa. He has a staff of about 15 professional artists, which he said can be a difficult group to manage due to their creative nature.

“It’s almost impossible to put a square peg in a round hole, in the sense where you tell an artist you have x amount of time to finish something creative,” Hutchinson said. “It kind of disturbs the creative process.”
He said the key for his success in business is compromising with what a client desires.

“If I want the job and I want the money, I’ve got to do your red in your room on your budget,” he said. “If I can make a profit on that, I go in my studio at night or on my weekends and paint with the best paper and the best oil and find out who I am as a person.”

To clarify, being himself means being an artist and not a business. His name as an artist is R. Francis, who has had pictures in galleries throughout the country and Europe. He currently has pieces priced at $350 in Starbucks locations throughout South Tampa.

As an artist, Hutchinson considers himself an abstract expressionist. As opposed to his attitude as a business man, sales are not at the top of his list. However, he said having money forces him to look deeper within himself because he is not a “starving artist.”

“I come from a place where I had nothing,” Hutchinson said. “I get choked up every time I share this. I had nothing, and I worked my tail off to have something.”

Peter Kieffer, a South Tampa home builder, has used Dr. Doodles’ services on many occasions, including interior and exterior finishes. He was particularly impressed with the business’ Venetian plaster and the ability to make a plain garage look like a wood garage through a finishing technique.

“He’s a pretty phenomenal artist,” Kieffer said.

For more information on Dr. Doodles, visit www.drdoodle.com or call 886-6684.