Richard Rice and George Dawnay will speak on “The Importance of Drawing" this coming Sunday from 2-4 p.m. at the North River Civic Center.
"George and Richard are professional artists who participate in the Monday life drawing program at the civic center," organizers said. "They have agreed to share their knowledge of drawing with the community. You will be delighted with their presentations."
Mr. Dawnay was born in England in 1970. His mother, artist Adrian Dawnay, was very involved in his early artistic life, schooling all her children in the arts.
Mr Dawnay's father, Charles, was a soldier in the Cold War, British Army. This ensured an early life of travel and living in different countries, including Germany, America and Africa. The family finally settled in England in the mid-80s.
Mr. Dawnay began his formal studies with the painter Charles Weed in London (circa 1992), before heading to the Florence Academy of Art, where he studied, earning a scholarship, for four years. He was trained in the French Academic style, cast drawing, anatomical studies and portraiture. In 1998 Mr. Dawnay started an apprenticeship with the mural painter Alexander Hamilton, together they went on to create a number of murals in Italy and abroad. He then went to Paris to continue his mural studies with the French muralist Vianney Brintet. After being invited to San Francisco by Designer Jessica Hall, he began coming to America more and more, eventually moving here permanently in 2003, where he began an apprenticeship with sculpture Cessna Decosimo in Chattanooga.
He now lives in Chattanooga with his wife and three children.
Mr. Rice has published cartoons in national media since 1975, including over 100 in the Wall Street Journal since 2001. Like most artists, he began drawing as a kid, with formal training in art school. He will discuss and illustrate his travel drawings and cartoonist career, and show how drawing is important to his current watercolor painting.
Mr. Rice has published cartoons in The New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, Barron’s Kappan, Business Law, Diversion, USA Today, Across the Board, Good Housekeeping and The Saturday Evening Post.
Dr. Rice, professor emeritus, taught Asian history, world history, Japanese economic history and cartoon history at UTC.
The program is free and open to the public. For information contact Linda Rugina at 423-870-8924.