Photo by Jeff Harris

Robert Rice (b. 1951)  has lived in Arizona since 1974.  He has been photographing for over 35 years.  Mr. Rice studied with Ansel Adams at Yosemite in 1975 and 1976. 

Mr. Rice has generally focused on landscapes but for the past year he has concentrated on flowers.  His work explores the boundary between reality and the abstract, using close up photography to study the sensuous form of flowers from unique perspectives.  Mr. Rice is attracted to the intimate, hidden places and the soft skin-like textures of his subjects and their inner light.  Color plays an important role in his photographs by balancing and complementing the flower’s form.

Mr. Rice has only recently begun to show and sell his work publicly.  His work has been displayed at the Chandler / Gilbert YMCA and he currently has a series of images on display at the Chandler Public Library.  He is represented by the Vision Gallery in Chandler, Arizona (480 916-6859) and Artventures LLC.  In 2001 he won the “Photograph of the Year” award from AFECA Tour Consultants.