Get to know Edward Rice

It’s March which means it is time for a new artist of the month! March is a great month to share Edward Rice with you as he has a great attachment to Ireland and spends summers in Clonakilty, County Cork. So here’s to the luck of the Irish.

Pendant by Edward Rice
Pendant | Oil | 42 x 30 inches

Mr. Rice began his artistic career at the age of 15 selling house portraits in pencil for $5.00 each. He’s come a long way from there. Educated at Augusta University in the town where he grew up. Mr. Rice was fortunate to meet his mentor Freeman Schoolcraft during this time. He would go on to study under Schoolcraft privately, eventually marrying his daughter. I’d say he was influential.

His paintings have been included in exhibitions at Babcock Galleries, New York; Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe; Heath Gallery, Atlanta; among numerous others.

His work is housed in the permanent collections of the Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, South Carolina; the Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina; the South Carolina State Museum, Columbia; the Greenville County Museum of Art, South Carolina; the Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia; the Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia; and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana.; as well as numerous corporate collections, such as the Duke Endowment, Charlotte, North Carolina; Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, Georgia; Medical Universities of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Spring Industries, New York, New York; Stephens Inc., Little Rock, Arkansas; and Troutman Sanders, Atlanta, Georgia; among others. His most recent museum exhibition was at the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from June 15-September 4, 2021.

Three 20 x 16 inch Dormer paintings by Edward Rice in the gallery

Now let’s go beyond the CV. We asked Mr. Rice in what ways he relates to his art and he replied ‘It is my job. Go into the studio about 9, come home about 5.’ This discipline can be seen in the architectural elements that he paints–some shapes over and over again as with his series of small dormer windows.

Dormer with Black Sky | Oil | 20 x 16 inches

Along with this discipline he states that he is proud of the fact that he has been “successfully self employed for a half a century. The sale of my work has been my lively hood always.” Along with spending time in the studio he was Director / Artist in Residence at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, Ga. from 1979-1982. The artist is the recipient of a South Carolina Arts Commission Artist Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts / Southern Arts Federation Regional Fellowship, and the Elizabeth O’Neil Verner Governor’s Award. To say he has been successful, may be an understatement.

He and his wife enjoy travel and spend as much time as they can doing so. ‘Travel is a major influence–tend to go to Europe most summers–I have had the great fortune to study the best art all over the world.” Exploring history is another influence in his life, which goes hand in hand with travel. When asked what he was reading right now the two titles in current rotation are Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun–Hernando de Soto and the South’s Ancient Chiefdom by Charles Hudson and Rome by Robert Hughes.

Mykonos, Greece | Watercolor | 22 x 30 inches

As expected Ed’s favorite food is Irish and when not painting he enjoys reading. He has a twin brother who is a musician and two younger brothers, one of which is an architect and lives in Italy and the other is a classical cabinet maker. He collects swords, bought his first one at age 4, focusing mostly on British and American swords from the war of 1812.

We hope you have enjoyed reading a little about this talented and interesting artist. We look forward to seeing you in the gallery soon!

 

 

 

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