Arts and Crafts Block Prints by William S. Rice Boxed Notecard Assortment

William Seltzer Rice was born in Pennsylvania but moved to Northern California in 1900, when the region’s Arts & Crafts movement was flowering. A talented and prolific watercolorist, Rice became devoted to block printing because the medium was better suited the Arts & Crafts ethos of making artwork available to a wide audience at modest cost. Unlike many printmakers, Rice designed, carved, and printed the blocks all himself. The landscapes of Northern California—from the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific—proved excellent raw materials for his creativity, as evidenced in this inviting notecard assortment.

About the artist:

William Seltzer Rice (American, 1873–1963) found endless inspiration in nature, creating a vast number of watercolors, drawings, photographs, and prints. He moved to his adopted home of Northern California in 1900, just before the region’s Arts and Crafts movement ignited. A prolific watercolorist, Rice taught at various San Francisco Bay Area schools, including the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland—a center for the movement. He became devoted to block printing for its suitability to the Arts and Crafts ethos of making artwork available to a wide audience at modest cost. Being a skilled craftsman as well as an artist, Rice designed, carved, and printed the blocks all himself. Today his masterful artwork can be found in public and private collections worldwide.