The Spirit of Truth, a traditional, hand-pulled relief print by Rick Leech (2025), caught my eye as the poster image for an art show held at Coastal Community Christian Church. The single-color, one pass through the press woodcut, features a boy kneeling, his arms raised in worship, with chains and a serpent at his feet. A radiating pattern of tediously cut lines drew me into the piece, and I knew I had to have it.

I remember the first time Rick Leech showed his work with Arts on the Coast. He shared a hand-pulled woodcut print of a twisting tree at Wormsloe. With six or more colors in the image, each one required a strategic cut, precise alignment on the paper, a run through the press, and then lifting the print. It is a laborious process that few appreciate or even understand these days. Having taken a printmaking class at SCAD many years ago, I recognized his exemplary use of the medium with excitement. Arts on the Coast boasts members working in many mediums, but a traditional printmaker, is rare. He is certainly one to watch.

I met Rick at his home studio in Richmond Hill to learn more about his journey in the arts. It is a treasure trove, with flat files filled with rice paper editions, a printing press, two kilns, copper etching plates, and several carved wood and linoleum blocks. There is an assemblage sculpture on a shelf, a large painting of an African American couple in the corner, and a mid-process print edition in the works. Rick is a quiet man, but his studio speaks loudly. His work points to a perfectionist nature.

“When I was in my 20s, I was a really nervous young man… I had kind of a nervous breakdown.” This marked a turning point that would put him on a years long journey to develop his craft. “I have always known that I was supposed to do art,” Rick says.

One of the first students at the Savannah College of Art & Design, Rick credits Professor Joan Cobitz with mentoring his printmaking journey. She gave him a block of cherry wood and some tools and told him to “see what he could do with it.” That love for printmaking evolved, but not without detours along the way.

“I was still having my anxiety problems… I had no confidence. Every now and then I could do artwork, and I did not really know how I did it. I just did it. I would be so focused I would not even be able to think about not doing it, but if I thought about something too much, it would work against me. All this doubt would creep in.”

Rick went on to study sculpture and ceramics with John Jensen at Armstrong. He taught himself how to make stained glass windows, which ultimately led to Rick Leech Art Glass, a business he ran with his wife, Claudia. He also dabbled in archaeology, even mapping out Colonial Cemetery. For the past five years, he has worked on custom sheet metal projects, often on historic Savannah properties, a job he loves that also nurtures his creative side.

Ideally, he would like about 20 more hours a week to focus on printmaking, and for an artist who has worked on one piece for nearly 25 years, he needs it. For each of Rick’s final prints, there are one or two artist proofs, followed by a limited edition of 50. That is roughly 300 passes through the press for a single edition. The texture of the ink and subtle variations make each signed print slightly unique and highly collectible. The carved blocks themselves, chipped away and layered with color, are works of art in their own right. I know of at least one collector who wants to own the original block to display next to their print.

Rick’s piece Journey features a canoeist paddling through Lowcountry tributaries, with calm waters reflecting clouds and a peacefulness that contrasts with some of his earlier works, many of which feature self-portraits heavy with mood.

“I work things out in my artwork… Before, it was so tedious and painful. I used to hate everything I did. Now, I do not have to hate any of my work.” Rick credits his faith with helping him overcome those anxious thoughts. “I feel like I cannot even take credit for it because I am just letting Him do it. I stand out of the way a little bit.”

The Spirit of Truth might just be another self-portrait. I am honored to have the artist proof in my collection.

Rick has shown work at the Atlanta Printmakers Show, regularly exhibits at Arts on the Coast’s ArtNite, and has a sculpture in the permanent collection of the LaGrange Art Museum.