My father, Sean Rice, was a professional sculptor and a great inspiration to me.
He created cast and welded bronze figurative sculpture between the 1960s and mid 1990s. His work was exhibited regularly at the Alwin Gallery in Grafton Street, London and he produced a number of important commissions including the Fourteen Stations of the Cross for Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. My mother was a talented poet, too, who won the National poetry competition and who also generally loved art.
The family used to drive to Italy in the summers. The light, the people and cities, such as Florence, impressed me, as a child. My parents separated in 1969 but I continued to share an interest in Art with my father.
At fifteen years old I surprised myself by doing an exceptionally good pencil drawing of St.Barnanas church in Hove, for Art homework. I did well at A–level in Art and went to Brighton Art College. I undertook a Foundation course and (unusually) stayed on in Brighton for the BA Hons course in painting.
The Foundation course was rigorous and very useful but I floundered somewhat during the degree course.

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