Copacabana in Winter (2011) Painting by Charles Riley

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 teaching of college studio art. 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.

More recently, I show my work online at charlesrileyart, exhibit in shows at the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts in Fredericksburg, VA. From 2012 through 2013 I displayed my artwork at Art First in Fredericksburg VA. Fredericksburg and Art First are very magical places if you ever get a chance to visit.

My artwork includes painting, mixed media, photography, and computer art, as well as a synthesis of the media. The work is expressionistic and it reflects what it is to be human. My writing, which I combine with the artwork, also reflects the human condition. The artwork is also a means to balance mundane conditioning that distracts us from the unconditioned creativity of the universe. My artwork is fed by relationships and other pursuits and studies such as Tai Chi, Taoism, Literature, Music, Media, and Art.

I studied Tai Chi with Master Da Liu in the 80's at Columbia University and I've been practicing and teaching since. I'm now teaching at two community centers in the Fredericksburg, VA area.

• Nationality: UNITED STATES
• Date of birth : 1949
• Artistic domains: Works by artists with a certified artist value,
• Groups: Certified Artists Contemporary American Artists