www.susanriley.com

Susan Riley began her love affair with photography in the early 1970s as a student at the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts in San Antonio. Instructor Tom Wright, who had traveled with and photographed rock musicians the Who and Rod Stewart, brought to his class a free-wheeling approach to black and white printing, encouraging his students to reach for the stars and push the limits while extremely loud rock music blared from the huge speakers. The combination of experimentation, encouragement and joy reflects in Susan's work to this day.

Susan's career as a full-time photographer began in the late 1980s with book cover work for several publishers. At this time, she also opened a studio where she explored her interest in black and white portraiture. Hand coloring custom prints proved to be very popular with her clients and her style of soft, gentle tones suited her much-loved work with children perfectly. Touches of glitter on occasional prints give off a magical light, delighting her young subjects.

In 2003, Riley added digital photography to her work, sparking a renewed interest in stretching the boundaries of creativity; her keen desire to produce unique and beautiful images has remained a driving force in her work ethic. Susan's interest in commercial pursuits has opened exciting venues for bold color and graphic techniques.

Early in 2013, a brilliant friend and client suggested to Susan that she begin making art prints for sale, specifically images of women from the 1910s and 1920s who made their names onstage and in very early films. Riley began seeking out black-and-white photos of those women (and men), and then reimagined them in full color, adding embellishments by hand onto the print surface to make them even more realistic.

From the artist:

    A R T W O R K S

Rose Dolores Susan Riley 35 x 26 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Greta Garbo Susan Riley 14 x 11 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Joan Crawford Susan Riley 14 x 14 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Anna Pavlova Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Tamara Karsavina Susan Riley 14 x 11 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Prairie Rose Henderson Susan Riley 20 x 14 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Rudolph Valentino & Vilma Banky Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Tap Dancer Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Vilma Banky Susan Riley 20 x 14 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Anna May Wong Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Barbara Stanwyck Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Christine Silver Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Cleo de Merode Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Delores and the Crystal Ball Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Gloria Swanson Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Greta Garbo Susan Riley Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Lili Damita Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Lina Calvalieri Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Louise Brooks Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Louise Brooks Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Lupe Velez Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Marion Davies Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Marion Davies Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Martha Graham Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Myrna Loy Susan Riley 14 x 11 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Olive Borden Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Pola Negri Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Robe du Soir Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Vaslav Nijinsky Susan Riley 20 x 14 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Vengeance Susan Riley 17 x 13 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

    S O L D    W O R K S

Erte Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Evelyn Brent Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Gladys Glad Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Gloria Swanson Susan Riley 17 x 14 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Gloria Swanson Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Greta Garbo Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Greta Garbo Susan Riley 14 x 11 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Josephine Baker Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Theda Bara Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Lili Damita Susan Riley 21 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Marion Davies Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Muriel Finley Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Myrna Darby Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Norma Talmadge Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Norma Talmadge Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Rudolph Valentino Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Theda Bara Susan Riley 17 x 14 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished

Vaslav Nijinsky Susan Riley 20 x 16 Colored in Photoshop, printed on velvet fine-art paper, hand-painted and embellished