1952 – 1959 : THE STUDENT YEARS

Yeovil School of Art (1952-56)

Brian Rice’s artistic training began in 1952 at Yeovil School of Art. His interest in printmaking, textiles, architecture and heraldry was nurtured by teachers including Elsie Kay Kohler, a member of the Royal Watercolour Society. These early experiences made a lasting impression on his art.

Goldsmiths College South London (1958-59)

During two years of National Service Brian Rice worked firstly as a tactical sketcher, drawing and copying maps.

After National Service he began teacher training at Goldsmiths College. There, he studied textiles, ceramics, book binding and typography, as well as painting and print making.

  • Black and white photograph of a large group of students, smiling and posing for the camera. The crowd wear various formal wear and novelty costume.
    The Christmas ball at Yeovil School of Art, 1952
  • Black and white photograph depicting young Brian Rice, centre, cycling towards the shot with two friends cycling either side. All three are wearing army uniforms, helmets, and have backpacks and firearms strapped to their backs. They are smiling at the camera.
    Brian Rice (centre) with army cycling friends Colin Hawkins and Keith Jowett, 1957
  • Black and white photograph of artworks mounted on a wall in front of a dressed table. Six works are hanging in two columns on the wall, the middle of which is pictured the framed work, St Michael's Mount from Churchyard.
    Final degree show at Goldsmiths College, 1959
The expanse of the work features an impression of the churchyard, with scattered gravestones depicted amidst overgrown, moss-green grass and shrubs. In the background, a tranquil blue sky is fractured by the looming impression of St Michael's Mount. Atop it sits a tall pillar monument, which stretches into the sky and almost meets the top of the frame.
St Michael’s Mount from Churchyard, 1959
Oil on board, 76 x 97 cm
One of Brian Rice’s first mature works, completed while he was a student at Goldsmiths. The influence of Robert Ellis, the painting tutor at Yeovil School of Art, is evident. “I lived in Montacute from the age of eleven and it was a lovely and interesting place to live. I made this painting from a photograph…I think I was a bit homesick, although I had a good and very productive year at Goldsmiths.”
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    1960 - 1976 LONDON