Matthew Rice

Biography

Matthew Rice is a painter, illustrator and writer. Flowers, animals, gardens. and buildings are his principal subject and his work is always observational, wherever possible drawing from life. Using watercolour, pen and ink, and heavy watercolour paper, Matthew uses bright colour and simple composition. For 30 years he has  produced designs for Emma Bridgewater pottery, his mugs have been produced in millions and are used worldwide. He has published 10 books with two more to be published soon. Some are about architecture and others focus on a particular place: Rome, Oxford, Norfolk, Stoke and his particular favourite and frequent destination, Venice.

As an only child he found a lot of time to draw and learnt much from his father, a set and costume designer and his mother, a textile designer. He later went to Chelsea and the Central school of Art in London. Matthew lives in the last shred of a castle gatehouse in the country and paints and works in a converted Cotswold stone barn. Gardening is his other passion and the house is surrounded by two acres of brightly coloured flowers and delicious vegetables.