Amy Rice

Amy Rice
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Hundred Year Round Trip: New Works by Amy Rice

Bluebottle Art Gallery415 East Pine St GalleySeattle, WA, 98122.
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Minneapolis based painter and mixed media artist Amy Rice first began painting on antique cedar barn roof shingles when her uncle re-roofed his barn (for the first time in 100 years) in 2003.Bluebottle Art Gallery had already been exhibiting these popular pieces by Rice in their retail gallery for over a year when a label discovered on the back of a single shingle identified them as originating from the Seattle Cedar Lumber Company.Rice had been conscious of the historical layer added to the finished art piece by employing these shingles as her "canvas" even before the Seattle link and had chosen her subject matter accordingly; sheep and rabbits, farm laborers and rural landscapes with a nostalgic mood given a contemporary edge by Rice's signature stencil and spray paint technique.

Rice now finds additional inspiration for her work in contemplating the travels these shingles have made and the rich history associated with each step.From giant Cedar Trees in the Northwest forest to a lumber mill in Seattle (she discovers that the laborers that made the shingles were called shingle weavers and that their union, the first organization in the lumber industry, is credited with being forerunners in the movement to higher degrees of safety in the workplace, health benefits and the 8 hour work day.), to a cross country train ride (as part of a vastly changing economy based on this new means of shipping across America) to become a roof of a beloved family farm in Wisconsin, to a Minnesota artist, and flown back to a Seattle gallery as art.Whew!

Rice paints an entire show exclusively on 100 year old plus cedar shingles originating from Seattle.Her imagery reflects the humble shingles' historical link to the cedar tree and Northwestern forests, the early labor movement , trains, farming, American architecture, and now, art.

Gallery 122 @ Hang It Inc. to Feature Artist Amy RiceAmy Rice will be having her first solo show in Minneapolis since 2005 at Gallery 122 at Hang It.Artist Reception September 7th from 7-10 pm.The Show runs from September 7 - September 28th 2007Amy Rice is a mixed media artist from Minneapolis whose work is primarily produced using stencils that she designs and cuts herself.She uses a variety of mediums to produce work that employs quasi-repetitive imagery in fresh new ways.