Rita Dee is a contemporary visual artist. She originally developed her style surrounded by the beauty of the Hudson Valley, and now continues her craft located in the Shires of Southern Vermont. Dee studied art education at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, teaching high school art for 4 years. Later, she went on to study with Judy Pfaff for her post-graduate work at Bard College in Red Hook, NY. Her main inspiration in her artwork is the horse, in which she strives to capture its majestic beauty and presence.

Her artistic expression began as a young girl, living in the north country of Upstate New York, when she translated her love of horses through art. She spent hours studying their form, shape, and movement and began molding them out of wire.

Dee’s work has undergone a progression over the years as she has found that the natural material of wood has the ability to illustrate the essence of the horse through its fluid form. She spends much of her time on the banks of the Hudson River or other bodies of water, examining each piece of driftwood that finds its way to shore. Every piece she finds is its own piece of art destined to become part of the meticulously intertwined form of the horse.

She has gone on to create other majestic creatures besides the horse, including bison, moose, and the stag. In her work, Dee desires to create an encounter with the viewer where peace, movement, grace and strength can be found.

Her work can be seen around the country in private residences and public permanent instillations.