Rick Grandmaison was born in Calgary in 1932, son of the native Canadian portrait painter, Nicholas de Grandmaison. He studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts under Frederick Taylor, and at the Chelsea School, London, England, under Pickford and Hodgson. Later, he studied with his father, and at the Winnipeg School of Art. In 1957, he spent a year painting in Spain, England, and Portugal, then in England and Paris in 1963.

Commenting on his own work, Grandmaison has stated, "My mandate for painting in oils has been to record in this infinite medium the colour, mood and motion of the Canadian landscape. Subject is really incidental to the expression of my ideas about it. It is the growth of the painting from concept to reality, and the reflection of personal growth through this work that inspires me to further work and development."