Ellen Rice to talk about happiness through painting children and puppies Aug. 19, 23
Delaware artist Ellen Rice will give a talk from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19, and Wednesday, Aug. 23. about creating happiness by painting puppies and children, in her recently relocated gallery in Ocean View. A competition will be held to name a puppy painting that will be introduced at the event. Light refreshments, wine and cheese will be served.
The Ellen Rice Gallery is now located 2.2 miles west of Bethany Beach in the front half of the former Kool Bean Bistro in Coastal Plaza, across from Lord Baltimore School, at 111 Atlantic Ave., Ocean View. (Look for the red shutters.)
Rice has been painting the people, places and wildlife of coastal Delaware professionally for more than 40 years. Although she may be best known for her luminescent oil paintings of the coastal area, a nationally best-selling map called "Treasure Beaches of the Mid-Atlantic" and an inspirational series, "The Strength of Woman," she said painting children and animals is among her favorite things to do.
"And what you love doing is often what you do best. Your love of your subject comes through in your work. I smile the whole time I'm painting a child or puppy. They make me happy and I think that's why people respond to these paintings so much," said Rice.
Rice is continuing a series she started two years ago called "Children by the Sea" and now adding puppies to the mix. "The combination is wonderful," she said. The children series is almost to the point now, Rice says, of having enough images to debut a series of greeting cards meant to inspire by showing the joy of looking at life from a childlike perspective.
Rice is still accepting submissions of photos for consideration as models for the series. "I have some wonderful shots I've got lined up to paint, but I hope to cover more topics, so parents and grandparents are welcome to show me their photos. And don't eliminate cell pics. Two of my best portraits this year were done from grandparents' cellphone photographs," she said.
For more information, go to www.ellenrice.gallery.
