Bill Riley reveals a continuation and extension of his remarkable command of spatial depth, optical illusion and tonality in these new works.

Painted with meticulous precision, Riley carefully applies a multitude of transparent layers of lacquer over a reflective lens-like surface. The eye is seduced by the alluring luminosity of coloured bands that simultaneously recede and advance; conflict and harmonise; flex and seemingly curve. “Reflective surfaces supply the paintings with a hard-to-control inner light, playing optical tricks and bouncing the viewer’s gaze back with vibrant colour. The surface asserts itself unpredictably in response to changes in ambient light.” (1)

Riley describes his works as “deliberately loaded.…[a] blur of information and possibility. They are at once a discourse with painting spanning over twenty years and purely physical sensation….They are as much about light as they are about deciphering.” (2)

Riley is a prominent artist in New Zealand and Australia. His work is represented in the Chartwell, Fletcher, James Wallace, St Kilda City, Robert Holmes ã Court and the University of Auckland art collections as well as private collections in New Zealand and internationally.

1. Anthony Byrt, 2004.
2. Artist statement, 2007.