Anemones

Woodcut printed in colors, circa 1925, from a small edition, perhaps 15 impressions. 9 x 12 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Here we have a superb impression printed on light cream Japanese paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine. This exemplary work is one of several floral prints by Rice. He would often use this dark background, similar to the work of Margaret Patterson, to accentuate the vibrancy of the colors. "During the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition San Francisco, Rice had a chance to study and absorb the techniques of the Japanese woodcuts that he was to incorporate into his own working knowledge of the medium. In 1918, the first major exhibition of his color woodcuts hung at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Though he gained national recognition for his printmaking, Rice embodied the Craftsman spirit, painting with watercolor and oil, and working in ceramics, hammered copper, and woodworking. He authored three books on the subject of block printing, including Block Prints: How to Make Them, and penned articles on naturalist subjects for Sunset Magazine." (from the Annex Galleries website entry for Bert's Iris.) Ex-collection: Reba Williams, New York.