About Larry Riley
Biography
A former dentist, Larry Riley is a native of Canada, grew up in the State of Washington, studied zoology at Washington State University, and graduated from the University of Oregon Dental School.
In 1982, he took a bold step, moving from the Pacific Northwest to the Southwest, totally trading dental tools for paints and brushes. Since that time, he has turned members of Native tribes into extended family.
Capturing traditions which are in some cases disappearing, being pictorially and emotionally true to his subject’s characters, and creating a visually interesting and pleasing image are just some of the factors Larry is working with in his paintings. Intense consideration is given to juxtaposing contrasting tones, or the color range and variety, or the expression of his subject’s face. He paints from a standpoint of respect and reverence, preferring that viewers draw their own impressions apart from his. Pressure to produce keeps him at the easel, rendering mostly Native American and western subject matter until now.
In preparing his 2008 collection of paintings, Larry will be calling on his zoology degree as well as his adopted home of Estes Park, Colorado to add wildlife to his subject matter. He has been getting some outstanding images of elk, moose, deer, big horn sheep, and foxes in Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as bison on his recent trip to Yellowstone National Park.