William S. Rice — Art and Life

Ellen Treseder Sexauer is a lawyer rather than an art historian, but she is the granddaughter of artist William S. Rice, and so has unique access to his materials and interview subjects who can speak first-hand about his life and influences. Rice's name is not so well known as his style: rugged but elegant California craftsman block prints, often of plants or natural landscapes, in intense but subdued colors. These have become a basic part of American popular aesthetics. He also worked skillfully in watercolor and drypoint. The book forms a visual catalogue of his work, and the many images are nicely reproduced with good attention to color. There are few full-page images here, but most of the originals are similarly small in size. Sexauer teams up here with Kenneth R. Trapp, whose distinguished record as a curator includes the Oakland Museum of California's decorative art and craft collections and the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery. They keep the focus of the text on the work and its context. The writing balances the scholarly with the informal. Rice was a teacher of his style and techniques, and an outdoorsman who relocated his craft aesthetics from Pennsylvania to the west, so the context is useful. Each chapter has endnotes. The book itself is beautifully produced by Pomegranate Communications. The design, by Patrice Morris, is appropriately gorgeous but without ostentation. A lovely book. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)