Hugh G. Rice was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1946. He qualified in 1968 from St. Joseph's College of Education, Belfast with an Art Teacher's Certificate (Distinction), and a Certificate in Education (First). His early career was spent teaching Art and Design at secondary and tertiary levels in Belfast before deciding to teach in Zambia, Central Africa in 1974.
Artist Hugh G. Rice
While in Zambia he was Artistic director to the Irish Wild Geese Association where his art work was prized for hotel and theatre displays. The latter part of his thirteen years in Africa were spent as professor of Art and Design Education, Teacher Training, at Evelyn Hone College, Lusaka, Zambia.
Upon his return to Ballycastle, Northern Ireland in 1986, Hugh extended his knowledge in the field of art education and obtained his BA and MA (Ed.) with the Open University, U.K. In 1991, Hugh's freestanding sculpture called Reflections was chosen by the Sculptors' Society of Ireland to be displayed on Dame Street in Dublin as part of that city's celebrations as a European City of Culture. His interest in teaching modern painting techniques was further advanced with his doctoral research again with the Open University. Hugh has worked in many primary and secondary schools in Northern Ireland. He was an Art Consultant for the North Eastern Education and Library board where his skills in introducing painting and sculptural techniques were much appreciated. Hugh also advanced the knowledge of painting techniques within his local community through Moyle Modern Artists which he founded.
Hugh's work can be found not only in Ireland and Africa but in the Netherlands, England, Israel, Australia, and more recently in Canada and the U.S.A.
Sunrise North Antrim I
acrylic on paperCanadian winters, from January to early spring, are spent in Ballycastle, a small town in the north- east corner of Ireland. His paintings of the Glens of Antrim represent the unique topography of the area. Mountains, rugged bogland , and patchwork fields are painted using a monochromatic palette. Acrylic paint as well as oil is allowed to flow off the brush to reflect the mists and rain of an Irish glen in winter and early spring.
In contrast, the summers and autumns spent in the vast Canadian prairies are represented on a larger canvas to capture the feeling of space. Paint is applied in a variety of ways, usually without brushes. These vibrant depictions of the Canadian prairie contrast strongly with the small, quiet Irish landscapes.
Hugh's wire sculptures, his latest being Irish Traditional Musicians, are a creative delight. In Canada, his work can be seen at Woodlands gallery in Winnipeg, and the Effusion Art Gallery, in Invermere, British Columbia. The Ross Fine Art Gallery in Letterkenny, Ireland, the Henry Gilmore Gallery in Holywood, N. Ireland and The Battletown Gallery, in N. Ireland exhibit his Irish paintings. Hugh has had three shows at the Woodlands Gallery - 2006, 2007 and 2008 - and his work was profiled in the Summer 2007 issue of Galleries West magazine. He looks forward to his next show in the fall of 2011 at Woodlands Gallery.
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