Elisabeth Riley

Elisabeth Riley is a contemporary seascape and landscape painter who lives and works in Yorkshire.
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She is drawn to the coast and the rugged countryside around her and is continually inspired by the impact of the atmosphere, the weather and the seasons on the feeling and energy of a natural scene.
​She paints primarily from memory and with imagination, always starting with the feeling of a particular place in mind but allowing the painting to take on a form of its own as she build up layers, colours and texture.
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She finds particular pleasure in capturing and exploring the unpredictable rugged beauty of the coast and countryside of North Yorkshire and the contrasting colour and light of the Cornish coastline.

She paints primarily with acrylics and gesso as these mediums allow her to build up texture and layers quickly to then work on expressing the feel of the piece. She alternates between knives, brushes and sponges to create the desired effect.

After studying Fine Art at Oakham School, Elisabeth spent a year studying and painting on location in Whitby before going on to sell her work in various galleries in Leeds, Otley, Harrogate and Stamford. Her work has been bought by collectors around the world.

Her great grandmother, Countess Ilona Hoyos, studied
sculpture under Auguste Rodin.

Her great Aunt, the suffragette and public speaker Alice Abadam, painted both landscapes and portraits, providing social commentary whilst addressing suffrage societies around England in the early 1900s. She also served on a committee for Art at the University of Wales in her later life.

One of Elisabeth's paintings was recently selected for exhibition in the inaugural North York Moors Art Awards at the Inspired By Gallery in Danby.