Media Bios
TV/Radio
Dorothy Rice is the author of The Reluctant Artist, the inspiring story of her father’s singular dedication to art and his lack of interest in any public recognition. The book is also about Dorothy’s coming-of-age with a yearning for the creative life—a goal she fulfilled after retiring from state service. The Reluctant Artist is available from Amazon, Indiebound, and Barnes and Noble. Dorothy Rice lives in Sacramento, California with her husband. Her website is: www.dorothyriceauthor.com
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Dorothy Rice is the author of The Reluctant Artist, a memoir of her artist father filled with stunning color photos of his extraordinary paintings.The book is available from Amazon, Indiebound, and Barnes and Noble. Dorothy lives in Sacramento, California with her husband. Her website is: www.dorothyriceauthor.com
TV/Radio
Dorothy Rice is the author of The Reluctant Artist, the inspiring story of her father’s singular dedication to art and his lack of interest in any public recognition. The book is also about Dorothy’s coming-of-age with a yearning for the creative life—a goal she fulfilled after retiring from state service. The Reluctant Artist is available from Amazon, Indiebound, and Barnes and Noble. Dorothy Rice lives in Sacramento, California with her husband. Her website is: www.dorothyriceauthor.com
Dorothy Rice is the author of The Reluctant Artist, a memoir of her artist father filled with stunning color photos of his extraordinary paintings.The book is available from Amazon, Indiebound, and Barnes and Noble. Dorothy lives in Sacramento, California with her husband. Her website is: www.dorothyriceauthor.com
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Sample Questions for the Media
Dorothy Rice, author, The Reluctant Artist
www.dorothyriceauthor.com
Tell us about your book.
The Reluctant Artist is the story of my father and his singular dedication to art, without any apparent interest in public recognition or acknowledgement—a radical concept in this era of social media. The Reluctant Artist is also my story of what it was like to be that man’s daughter, during the psychedelic 1960s and 70s in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Was Joe Rice a San Francisco native?
My father was born in Manila, Philippines, the son of a Chinese mother and Hungarian father. He immigrated to San Francisco with his mother and elder sister from the Philippines in 1931 and graduated from high school in San Francisco, going on to become an accomplished and classically-trained artist. Allan deSouza, Chair of UC Berkeley's Department of Art Practice has said, "Rice’s intricate weaving of the intimate with the expansive, the familiar with the experimental . . . is what art does best, rewarding those who look closely." My father's signature use of vibrant colors and the sheer size of his paintings (many measuring four to six feet), are impressive.
How would you describe your father’s career as an artist?
Joe Rice was quiet and unassuming, a public school art and English teacher who invested his spare hours in perfecting his talent for painting. He left us hundreds of works of art—the paintings, along with ceramics and jewelry. It was amazing to have a father who devoted himself to art every day without fail, yet who never talked about what making art meant to him. The art itself a testament to the value of creativity and the way that being creative helps us to find meaning in life. My father always seemed most content when he was alone, working on his art. He never sought opportunities to exhibit his work. He’s the social media anti-hero.
He’s A Social Media Antihero?
Yes, my father didn’t seek the spotlight but his art is so arresting that it demands attention, long after his death.
Where is your father’s art now?
I have twenty paintings and sketches hanging in my home and his ceramics are on display throughout my living space. It’s a luxury, like living in my own private gallery. Other family members have his painting on their walls, too.
You have said that your father painted every day. That’s quite a commitment. What impact did his devotion to art have on you?
I’m the middle daughter of four children, and have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. After college I wrote a novel—still unpublished— and a number of short stories. Then life intervened—marriage, motherhood, divorce, single-motherhood, career, more kids—and it all pushed writing to the back burner. As my father aged and became increasingly frail, I felt compelled to pick up the mantle and honor the Muse. I began writing again to honor my father’s accomplishments, but also to give life to my neglected dreams.
Was writing about your father difficult?
Somewhat.The Reluctant Artist began as an essay in the American River Review called, “The Paintings in the Rafters.” Another literary journal, The Still Point Arts Quarterly, reprinted my essay. The journal’s editor has a publishing house and offered to publish a book about my father’s art. After a career spent in environmental protection, I have been gratified by the support, generosity, and creative talent represented in the writing community.
Where is your book available?
Through my website, dorothyriceauthor.com, on Amazon, Indiebound or Barnes and Noble.
Dorothy Rice, author, The Reluctant Artist
www.dorothyriceauthor.com
Tell us about your book.
The Reluctant Artist is the story of my father and his singular dedication to art, without any apparent interest in public recognition or acknowledgement—a radical concept in this era of social media. The Reluctant Artist is also my story of what it was like to be that man’s daughter, during the psychedelic 1960s and 70s in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Was Joe Rice a San Francisco native?
My father was born in Manila, Philippines, the son of a Chinese mother and Hungarian father. He immigrated to San Francisco with his mother and elder sister from the Philippines in 1931 and graduated from high school in San Francisco, going on to become an accomplished and classically-trained artist. Allan deSouza, Chair of UC Berkeley's Department of Art Practice has said, "Rice’s intricate weaving of the intimate with the expansive, the familiar with the experimental . . . is what art does best, rewarding those who look closely." My father's signature use of vibrant colors and the sheer size of his paintings (many measuring four to six feet), are impressive.
How would you describe your father’s career as an artist?
Joe Rice was quiet and unassuming, a public school art and English teacher who invested his spare hours in perfecting his talent for painting. He left us hundreds of works of art—the paintings, along with ceramics and jewelry. It was amazing to have a father who devoted himself to art every day without fail, yet who never talked about what making art meant to him. The art itself a testament to the value of creativity and the way that being creative helps us to find meaning in life. My father always seemed most content when he was alone, working on his art. He never sought opportunities to exhibit his work. He’s the social media anti-hero.
He’s A Social Media Antihero?
Yes, my father didn’t seek the spotlight but his art is so arresting that it demands attention, long after his death.
Where is your father’s art now?
I have twenty paintings and sketches hanging in my home and his ceramics are on display throughout my living space. It’s a luxury, like living in my own private gallery. Other family members have his painting on their walls, too.
You have said that your father painted every day. That’s quite a commitment. What impact did his devotion to art have on you?
I’m the middle daughter of four children, and have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. After college I wrote a novel—still unpublished— and a number of short stories. Then life intervened—marriage, motherhood, divorce, single-motherhood, career, more kids—and it all pushed writing to the back burner. As my father aged and became increasingly frail, I felt compelled to pick up the mantle and honor the Muse. I began writing again to honor my father’s accomplishments, but also to give life to my neglected dreams.
Was writing about your father difficult?
Somewhat.The Reluctant Artist began as an essay in the American River Review called, “The Paintings in the Rafters.” Another literary journal, The Still Point Arts Quarterly, reprinted my essay. The journal’s editor has a publishing house and offered to publish a book about my father’s art. After a career spent in environmental protection, I have been gratified by the support, generosity, and creative talent represented in the writing community.
Where is your book available?
Through my website, dorothyriceauthor.com, on Amazon, Indiebound or Barnes and Noble.