Morris Riley

OUT IN THE COLD . " I have never struggled so much in my life as an artist, than when I painted on the streets of Manchester, during the winter of 2007. The organizational nightmare of moving my equipment and wet oil canvases around was at the time, truly frightening. On bitterly cold winter days I craved for the homely comfort's of my studio. But, persevere I did. The result of my labour - a passionate series of abstract imagery, portraying the brilliance that is the City of Manchester.

Morris Riley was born in Warrington in 1951 and gained his BA in Visual Arts at Bolton Institute, in 1996. He went on to lecture Art in the Collegiate, Warrington, until he became a professional artist in 2004. He gained a reputation for his figurative work, and historic imagery of Rugby League Football, of which he is a huge fan. His work has featured in several newspapers and on BBC TV, Sky Sports and Channel M TV, Manchester. Riley has produced commissions and featured in exhibitions throughout the North West, as well as in Pimlico, London and New York.

Morris is enthusiastic about art and passionate about painting in particular. He took a break from art in 2005 but, inspired by Cheshire's rolling landscape, he has recently returned to painting with renewed vigour, excitement and a desire to converse his visual language to the world. "My paintings represent my fascination with the Cheshire countryside… My approach is to prepare each subject as a terrain, a landscape in its own right".

He works with diverse media including oils, lacquers and industrial paints. He admires the elegant works of Constable and Turner yet his abstract works are also influenced by Jackson Pollock's dynamism and movement. His paintings are abstract and display vibrant splashes of colour, yet his works possess a precise, finished quality. The Bridgewater Canal has been a memorial place for Morris and it is no coincidence that canal scenes, portraits and abstracts are the backdrop to his new portfolio of life's experiences.

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Phone: The Blyth Gallery  0161 236 1004    Fax: 0161 228 0633    E-mail: gallery@artmanchester.com