At an early age I learned about art from an aunt who was an established artist. My father taught me a love of literature. My B.A. was in English Lit. My graduate degrees from Columbia University were in studio art and education. I had exhibitions in New York City during and after my grad work at Columbia. These included: The Macy Gallery at Columbia; Hudson Valley '85 National Exhibition Juried by Barbara Haskell, Curator of the Whitney Museum; Ariel Gallery in NYC; The Emerging Collector in NYC; Eighth Annual Exhibition of Emerging Artists at the Bronx Museum of the Arts; and In Search of the American Experience by The Museum of the National Arts Foundation. There were also reviews in The New York Times, ArtSpeak (a Gallery Review), and the Bronx News.
I also practice my artwork to balance my life. My latest works are posted online at http://www.charlesrileyart.com. Some of my shows are at the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts in Fredericksburg, VA. Frome 2012 through 2013 I displayed my artwork at Art First, also in Fredericksburg VA. Fredericksburg and Art First are very magical places if you ever get a chance to visit.
With my artwork, I explore where experience, literature and art merge. My artwork is about exploration, expression, creative freedom, growth, and the search for meaning and balance. Through a variety of media, I seek a balance between the mechanics of technology, nature, and what it is to be human. The expressive artwork combines literary and visual treasure from Eastern and Western Culture in a very human experience.