Marylou Butler Freelance Writing and Photography

Betsey Rice in SO Rhode Island Magazine

All artists take inspirations from their surroundings and Betsey Rice is no exception. Having grown up in coastal areas she spent much of her life on the beach, exploring tidal pools, marshes and the inherent creatures. “Sealife really speaks to me” she said, “it’s fascinating.” For the past dozen years Rice has been creating oversized versions of the variety of coastal life that mother nature has to offer. “It’s so easy to step on shells on the beach and overlook their beautiful details” she said, “I magnify those details and try to faithfully recreate the natural colors.” Living in Quonochontaug has given Rice a plethora of intriguing specimens to study.
Betsey Rice grew up drawing and painting. Knowing she wanted to stay in an artistic field, she attended Green Mountain College in Vermont to study advertising design. It was on a break after college, while visiting an aunt and uncle in Georgia, that she discovered her true passion. “I went south to spend a few months with relatives after graduating” she said, “My aunt and uncle were professional potters. I had never been exposed to that medium but I quickly fell in love.” She learned to create beautiful and functional plates, cups and bowls and returned to SO RI ready to be a potter.
While raising her family Rice started with home shows, taking orders for her ceramic housewares. She said to herself “I’ll try this or I’ll have to get a job.” She quickly became swamped with orders and eventually made some items for mail order catalogs. Those orders were soon keeping her too busy to explore her more artistic instincts. Rice decided to cut back production on the houseware line to special orders so that she could expand her vision. Sealife won out. Today those oversized versions of the creatures we so often take for granted grace galleries and her website www.betseyrice.com. The beautiful ceramic and porcelin creatures command space on walls, tables and outside entryways. Rice also loves to create one of a kind pieces on commission, a dancing wall of stingrays among her latest. Visit her studio in “Quonnie” and collaborate on something special today.
You can contact Betsey Rice by email at: betsey@betseyrice.com