An early morning view of the studio (left) from Ellen's front deck. Her studio & showroom may be visited year-round, usually several days a week. There is ample parking pictured and some beyond view. Check the Visit the Studio page for weekly hours or call (302) 539-3405 to schedule a visit during other hours. No purchases are required. Just enjoy the peace and beauty found within. Please park ONLY on Ellen's property (the gates will be open during open studios and appointments.)
Purposeful change
When Ellen Rice opened her gallery in the spring of 1999 with a small collection of her paintings and prints and the handmade creations of a handful of artisans she knew whose work she loved, it was with the desire to "create a place away from the hustle and bustle of tourist traffic where people could come and browse at their leisure and be inspired and uplifted among my paintings and myriad other beautiful art forms."
With no backing or retail experience, but remaining dedicated to her initial idea, within three years of opening, her gallery had become one of the most successful galleries its size in the country.
The gallery has transitioned with changing times. Having survived the great recession and more than four years of road construction, it is Covid that has forced a new way of offering Ellen's and her artisans' works to you: a purposefully built studio and showroom on the artist's property on edge of the James Farm Ecological Preserve on the outskirts of Ocean View, Delaware.
During your visit you'll find the handmade gifts of multiple artisans and the complete collection of Ellen's beautiful and uplifting original paintings and fine art reproductions on paper and canvas. A return to giving private lessons is awaiting the end of the pandemic.
Prayer and listening led the way. How it all started.
Our Story
When Ellen opened the doors of the Ellen Rice Gallery in the spring of 1999, it was with a handful of original paintings, a few prints and the work of a handful of artisans she knew and whose works she'd personally collected over the years.
She'd started over at age 45 after her husband's death
with no backing, but a nationally best selling work of art and history on her hands. Although not typical of her work, Treasure Beaches of the Mid-Atlantic paved the way for her representation in galleries throughout the country.
Articles about its creation appeared in Gannett and AP Wire Service newspapers from coast to coast, and she found herself appearing on live television, including representing the State of Delaware on QVC's Quest for America's Best.
She opened her gallery in a 650 sq. ft. space in a rustic old building "on a wing and a prayer." She had no retail experience. Her work had been selling well and she hoped that with a serene setting to display more of her paintings, she could manage to make both the gallery's and her home's expenses.
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," is an inspiration she clung to.
The week she signed the lease, a woman she didn't know bought a small original painting and asked if she could buy a larger in-progress one over time. The woman purchased Ellen's first Strength of Woman Series painting, Standing on the Rock, paying for it monthly for a year. Her payments covered the gallery's entire first year of base expenses almost exactly.
The sale gave Ellen the confidence to invest more of her painting income in the gallery, gradually adding lighting, equipment, showcases and buying wholesale from artisans who created in a variety of media.
She discovered that for as little as the price of one or two prints she could help introduce one new emerging artist. Her investment in their work helped them, added depth to her gallery and gave her customers ways to support American creativity while finding unique, well made gifts and art for their homes.
The gallery succeeded far beyond her dreams. She'd wanted it to be a haven, filled with beauty and fine craftsmanship and a laugh or two along the way. Each new artist and every single piece of art made by them was hand picked with this in mind - and still is.
Within a few years, the gallery was named a national NICHE Top Retailer Award Finalist for its representation of and dealings with only American artisans.
Ellen also garnered numerous awards and accolades, among them being named "One of Delaware's most collectible shore artists" (Delaware Beach Life Magazine), PNC Bank's "2014 Artist of the Year" and more recently, Coastal Style Magazine's "Best Artist" Delaware, four times, including this year.
This year, despite some difficult challenges over the years, the Ellen Rice Gallery was named one of "10 Must-See Galleries and Museums in Delaware" by an international cultural review group with offices in major cities around the world, The Culture Trip.
And now the gallery continues its journey, in a different, off-the-beaten path location, one day at a time, one step at a time, listening for God's direction.
We are grateful for your part in our story.
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We are open all year.
You can shop 24-7, 365 on Ellen's website:
And by phone:
We ship all in-stock orders, excluding original paintings and other fragile
works of art that require special transportation, the same or next business day.
See a few pics of the studio's ongoing development above and below.
