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About
the Artist
An
artist whose work reflects his deep love of the American landscape and
it’s wildlife, Bill Rice is highly regarded for his finely crafted bird
sculpture, and has become respected for his small still-life and landscape
paintings.
Born
in 1952, Rice is a self-taught artist who began painting as a teenager and
began sculpting avian subjects while employed as a carpenter. Working with
traditional carving tools, he creates dynamic renditions of domestic and
wild birds, capturing their distinctive beauty as well as their
spiritual essence. Rice typically incorporates some aspect of the bird’s
natural habitat into each piece, a practice that contributes to the life
and animation of his sculpture. He derives inspiration for his work by
continually observing the habits and attitudes of birds, and taking
field trips throughout the year and keeping an aviary at his home.
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Rice
has been working as a professional sculptor for nearly twenty years,
during which time he has received many "Best in Show" awards and
several first places in such important competitions as the New England
Wildlife Exposition in Wallingford, Connecticut (1986, 1987, 1989), and
the Ward Foundation World Championship Competition held in Ocean
City, Maryland in 1984. His work has been featured in many of the national
wildlife annuals, among them the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History’s Birds
in Art Show, and the Easton Waterfowl Festival in Easton,
Maryland. He was elected a member of the Society of Animal Artists in
1997, and most recently honored with an invitation to participate in the
National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Miniatures and More Show,
Jackson Hole, WY in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, the Bennington Center for the Arts Art
of the Animal Kingdom Show, the Impressions of New England Show in
Bennington, VT 2002, and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art’s Museum’s Birds
in Art Show 2002, 2003 & 2004.
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His
work is represented in the Ward Foundation Museum of Wildfowl Art,
Salisbury, MD, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s permanent
collection, as well as private and corporate collections throughout the
United States, Canada, China, England, Bermuda and South Africa.
Galleries
that represent Rice include the Spanierman Gallery, New York, NY, J.N.
Bartfield Gallery, New York, NY, the Richard James Gallery, Charleston,
SC, Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ, the Gregory James Gallery,
New Milford, CT. and P. S. Gallery, Litchfield, CT.
© 2004, Bill Rice Artworks All rights reserved.
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