Artwork copyright Dan Rice. Photo courtesy of Tumwater Middle School.

Autoscape #2, 1981

Dan Rice
American (born 1951)

Location: Tumwater Middle School, Tumwater

About the Artwork

Autoscape #2 is part of artist Dan Rice's series of paintings about the American lifestyle and landscape. His automobile motif speaks to the frantic nature of urban life. He notes, "The mechanical energy inherent in the noisy, repetitive rhythms of color and form in the staccato of freeway traffic flows is analogous to our frantic lifestyle. The irony I've attempted to communicate through the use of gay colors and frivolous, miniature figures reflects our seemingly uncaring and unconcerned attitude in our relationship with our environment."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Tumwater School District.

About the Artist

Dan Rice is a Montana-based artist. Born in Portland, Oregon, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Washington University in Ellensburg in 1980. He studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of California, Davis in 1982. His expressive paintings examine our perceptions and symbols of American life.