Cecil Rice was born in 1961 in Nottingham, England. Influenced by his father, Sean Rice, a respected sculptor, Rice attended Brighton College of Art, graduating in 1983 with a passion for watercolors. Rice quickly became renowned for his stunning watercolor paintings of seascapes and architecture. The most intriguing and unique element of Rice’s paintings is his use of light and how it “gives way to the deepest shadows.” Rice’s works have garnered much attention, and he has had exhibitions across Europe and Japan.

Rice’s work has been influenced most dramatically by his father, Sean Rice, and famous artists like Turner and Emil Nolde. Rice finds inspiration primarily through travel, which provides him “with new subjects and vivid impressions. Vast spaces, tracts of open water or breach, old mysterious places, early morning and late evening, are all fascinating.” Though his greatest passion is for Italy, specifically Venice, Rice has recently traveled to Granada, Marrakech, and India.