Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Larkstoke by Mary Riley

Larkstoke by Mary Riley

In her work Mary Riley has often made repeated visits to areas where the landscape has held a particular fascination, exploring its character in the changing seasons of the year, in every type of weather and at different times of the day (and night). For twenty-five years, she has regularly made drawings of Larkstoke Hill in Warwickshire, near her home in Leamington Spa and a substantial number of paintings and drawings inspired by Larkstoke have been exhibited and purchased by collectors during that time.

The sketchbook drawings are developed into larger paintings in her studio. Layers of paint and pencil marks show the land and the sky and the light that flows between them; it is difficult to tell where one stops and the other starts. The work is a personal evocation of the ongoing experience of a well-loved place.

The work was presented to the University by the artist in 2015.