Close Encounters: The Paintings of David Rice - Hi-Fructose Magazine

"The Pacific Northwest is perhaps the wildest, most breathtaking region in the continental United States. With its combination of mountain ranges, conifer forests, lakes, rivers, and ancient sequoias looming over the California coast, the geography and texture of Wyoming, Montana, California, and Oregon return us to North America's primordial past."

"There's something about it. I like the idea that we [animals and humans] get to share space together. You can do it in a way where we don't affect each other. Rice has always been enthralled by being in the living presence of a wild animal, and explains how life in Colorado, Oregon, and time spent at Yellowstone National Park has afforded him the opportunity to capture what he describes as the magic of catching sight of bighorn sheep, bobcat, fox, and elk."

The Pacific Northwest represents one of North America's most visually stunning regions, combining mountain ranges, conifer forests, lakes, rivers, and ancient sequoias that evoke the Romantic era's concept of sublime natural majesty. This landscape, spanning Wyoming, Montana, California, and Oregon, provides ideal inspiration for American artists seeking to capture nature's infinite variety and beauty. Artist David Rice, raised near Aspen, Colorado, developed a lifelong passion for wildlife and natural environments. His experiences in Colorado, Oregon, and Yellowstone National Park have shaped his artistic vision, allowing him to document encounters with bighorn sheep, bobcats, foxes, and elk. Rice's paintings reflect a philosophy of peaceful coexistence between humans and animals, depicting North American wildlife with tenderness and fragility.

Read at Hi-Fructose Magazine - The New Contemporary Art Magazine