Watt & Rickett

Artist Biography and insights into the inspiration and process involved in the creation of the duo's artwork.

“There are three forms of visual art: Painting is art to look at, sculpture is art you can walk around, and architecture is art you can walk through”

Dan Rice

Dan Rice was an artist who taught at the Art Students League, the University of Connecticut, Brown University, Amherst College, and the Guilford Art Center. He moved to Madison,Connecticut in the mid-1960s and taught in his studio until his death. 

Although Dan Rice is also quotes as saying:

“A man without enemies is a dishonest man.”

With a combined career of 50 years in Architecture, Watt and Rickett have experienced the highs and lows of professional practice, the rise of populist perception of building design, fueled by the last 20 years of intensive media exploitation of the art, Grand Designs, Renovation home, Amazing Spaces and others. Commensurate with which the level of bureaucracy, legislation and process have compromised the art to the point of distraction.

This precipitated a desire for a creative outlet that could express the experience of architecture unfettered by committee process and legislative burden.

Watt and Rickett are exploring the following precepts:

  • The abstract expression of landscape
  • The influence of construction on raw landscape
  • The role of camoflage, contrast and texture in nature

Using techniques of their training woven into expressive painting, their first collection is a series of pieces depicting the Cornish coast, following an intensive period of studies in mark making, palette and form.

Further collections will explore the intervention of built form into the coastal landscape.

In a moment is was all gone

Rickett says:

"We have been involved in the expression of artistic intent for so many years within a profession that is defined by constraints of brief, budget, committee and legislative changes. Our journey into the exploration of natural and built form through different medium is an effort to unshackle our creativity. Unfettered, we can chose our site, brief and aesthetic, this can only have a positive impact our practice of architecture"

Watt says:

"I agree with Rickett"

We say:

Pavilion is excited to see the progress of the resident artists. Obviously what we say is heavily caveated by the onerous truth that these two actually own the gallery. However in the spirit of artistic integrity, the first collection promises an interesting divarication in the expression of landscape and built form. The use of pencil and acrylic, the use of organic and geometric form create an unusual tension and depth to the work.