Suzie Riley

Suzie Riley (b.1965) is a South Australian artist who draws inspiration from the rolling hills, natural bush and vast seascapes that surround her home in the Fleurieu Peninsula. Working from a straw bale studio in the bush, Suzie is immersed in a landscape that is central to her work. Daily walks are a ritual that give her an opportunity to notice subtle shifts of light and shadow, colour and form.
In the studio she allows these impressions to filter into her work, and it is balancing the pattern of these combinations that is at the core of her practice. A colourist at heart, Suzie draws upon a sensitive knowledge of pigment and a confident balance of pattern and tone to add complexity and strength to her work. Using mostly pastel and acrylic, Suzie paints energetic and gestural landscapes which cleverly capture the essence of the landscapes that are of constant fascination to her.
Suzie studied at the School of Art and Design in Fremantle. Upon returning to South Australia, she undertook private tuition. She has exhibited widely and been the recipient of many awards, including the Fleurieu Art Prize One Day Painting Competition, first as an emerging artist and consecutively, the open section.
Her pastel work was awarded first and second place at Clare and Alexandrina Rotary Shows and the Southern Oceans Art Prize in Robe. She has been selected as a finalist in the Adelaide Parklands and Hahndorf Academy Adelaide Hills Art Prizes.