 |
Margaret Rice Oxley The Children Dream of Seafaring |
Margaret Rice Oxley often signed her art and illustrations as M Rice Oxley. Little is known about her, even by the auction houses that have listed and sold her work. Other than auction listings, I can find no reference to her as an illustrator in the Library of Congress extensive catalog of books, on the Internet Archive, or in general searches on the internet.
I found one sentence of biographical information from an auction house called Dominic Winter: "The fine watercolourist Margaret Rice Oxley is little known, although we understand that she lived at Lyth Hill, near Shrewsbury, and that she was probably born in the second decade of the 20th century."
Margaret Rice Oxley worked in watercolor and pen and ink. From the type of work represented by the auction houses, she may have illustrated for books or magazines, but I can find no records to this effect. Is it possible she was a highly accomplished hobbyist who remained unpublished?
I'm sharing at Art of Narrative most of the handful of images I've found at their highest resolution, slightly enhanced for color and clarity. I've seen the same watercolor paintings and pen and ink illustrations in different sizes, tones and colors, depending on which auction house or secondary site posted the images, so I do not know how accurate the colors and contrast may be, but I think you will agree that she is an artist deserving discovery and wide recognition.
Click into each image to see the highest resolution.
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley Apotheosis of Columbine |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley The Dandelion Fairy |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley The Garden of Dreams |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley The Winds Fly Fast to Their Home |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley The End of the Story |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley Moonlit Scene |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley The Shepherdess |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley Poem: The Dream Shop |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley Poem: The Garden of Dreams |
 |
Margaret Rice Oxley When You Do Dance I Wish You A Wave O' The Sea ~ Quote from Shakespeare |
If anyone reading this tribute knows more about Margaret Rice Oxley, please add your knowledge in the comments. (Both an author of a medical text, and the mother of a well known singer share her name, but she is neither of these women.)
Text & Value Added Images © 2014 Art of Narrative
Whoa these are jaw-dropping. Had never heard of this artist. Thanks for the introduction
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Tom. If I am able to find out more about her, I'll be sharing the information. The style of her work is wide ranging, yet related. Maybe there's a British publication or publisher of her work. I wish I knew, because I'd love to see more.
DeleteI've had two different people inquire about these paintings and illustrations and where they may be for sale. I've found the images at either auction sites, including Christies, or on secondary sources that list auction prices. To my knowledge, all of these paintings or drawings were purchased at auction, and are currently owned by private collectors. Here's a link to my favorite of her paintings, and the price that was realized for it at Christies in September 2014: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/drawings-watercolors/margaret-rice-oxley-20th-century-a-voyage-5818151-details.aspx
ReplyDeleteI too hadn't previously heard of this artist. How sad that she is neglected, as her pictures are so lovely! She reminds me a bit of Cicely Mary Barker or Florence Anderson.
ReplyDelete