David Frederick Riley grew up in Michigan, but after moving to Arizona, Colorado, and now Utah, the subject matter and styles of the West have rubbed off on him.
“My wife’s family is from out here, and working on this art has helped inform me of the area and my wife’s family history,” he says.
Curious Gaze, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in.
His upcoming show at Altamira Fine Art, titled A Celebration of the Southwest, is a love letter to the animal life and colors of the Arizona desert. The show will feature eight paintings, mostly of animals, along with two portraits.
In the past, Riley has typically worked in monochromes, but this body of work plays with more color. “I went through old photos from when we lived in Arizona and based the color palette off the red rocks and cacti,” he says. “I also did a lot of research on different animals to think about which ones would be most fun to paint.”
Diva, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in.
Once he has the basic shapes and colors of his subject down, he lays his canvas down flat and throws mineral spirits on the work, creating the spots that he’s come to think of as his signature.
Getting the eyes right on the creatures he paints is a critical part of his process. Riley says, “As I’m finishing up the painting, I’m focusing on giving the eyes something that showcases the emotion or the character of the animal in a way that’s relatable to the viewer.”
In Jave N A Good Time, Riley depicts a javelina backlit by warm, Southwestern light. “The javelina was a ton of fun to paint, especially the nose. What a great nose to paint,” he says. “I really pushed the colors, with this soft afternoon sun bouncing off the red rocks and lighting up the side of the face.”
Jave N A Good Time, oil on canvas, 60 x 40 in.
Diva portrays a cougar looking directly at the viewer. “I love cougars. They have this great combination of beauty and elegance, but also, they could eat you if they wanted to,” Riley says. The animal’s fur is warm with rusty, ochre tones, but Riley subverts the typical look with undertones of blues and greens.
In Fiery Eyes, Riley departs from his animal subject matter for a portrait of Clint Eastwood, based on his performance in A Few Dollars More.Riley has painted Eastwood several times, now. “There’s just something about the way his face is put together, with those deep-set eyes and amazing crows’ feet,” he says.
Fiery Eyes, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 in.
The painting has a loose, sketchy feel, focusing on the famous glint in Eastwood’s eyes and his furrowed brow. Riley adds, “In a way, he reminded me of the cougar in Diva. He’s a badass, and maybe he’s not going to hurt you right now, but he could if he wanted to.” —
Altamira Fine Art 7038 E. Main Street » Scottsdale, AZ 85251 » (480) 949-1256 » www.altamiraart.com
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