Lesley Riley is an artist currently working in layered abstraction.
Her work begins in curiosity and unfolds through layers—of paint, time, and what feels both new and familiar. Her paintings emerge through a process of layering—paint, texture, and time—creating spaces that invite both emotional response and visual delight. Some works exist fully in abstraction, while others carry a subtle sense of the familiar, suggesting traces of what has been without fully revealing it.
What matters is what is felt. Each piece becomes a place to pause and notice, where surface and time come into quiet conversation.
Before returning fully to her own studio practice, Lesley spent many years teaching and writing about creativity, helping others find their artistic voice. That experience continues to inform her work, but no longer defines it.
| EDUCATION: | |
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2003 |
BA, Woman’s Studies, University of MD |
| 1996-1998 | Corcoran School of Art, Washington, DC |
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EXHIBITIONS: |
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Upcoming
2025
2021
2019 |
Artists & Makers Studios, Rockville, MD, May 2027 Nisei Gallery, Ft Ritchie, Cascade, MD Chronicles: Storytelling Through Imagery, AnnMarie Arts Center, Solomans, MD Bearing Witness: Civil War Story Quilts, Virginia Quilt Museum, Harrisonburg, VA (Solo Exhibit) Jo Fleming Contemporary Art, Annapolis, MD (group show) Artists & Makers Studios - Rockville, MD (May Solo Show) |
| 2014 | Reflections, Dinner At 8, Houston Tarnish - SAQA Regional Show, Rockville, MD |
| 2006 | Fine Focus – Traveling Exhibit |
| 2005 | Women of Biblical Proportion – Traveling Exhibit I Remember Mama –International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX |
| 2004 | The Beat, Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, Salem, OR Fine Focus – Traveling Art Quilt Exhibit Women of Biblical Proportion – Traveling Exhibit A Page from My Book: Journal Quilts 2004, Houston, TX |
| 2003 | Dreaming the Garden, Laura Cater-Woods, Curator, Traveling Exhibit All Dolled Up, Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, Glen Allen, VA Sassafras Gallery, Baltimore, MD – Group Fiber Show Beyond Reading – Ellipse Arts Center, Arlington, VA, Book Arts Small Works, Katie Gingrass Gallery, Milwaukee, WI Fiberarts Adventures, West Springfield, MA Huntington House Art Museum, Windsor, CT A Page from My Book: Journal Quilts 2003, Houston, TX I Remember Mama, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX Faculty Exhibit, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX |
| 2002-2007 | Journal Quilt Exhibit, International Quilt Festival |
| 2001 | Art Quilts at the Sedgwick 2001 Creative Crafts Council Biennial Show |
| 2000 | The Artist as Quiltmaker, FAVA, Oberlin, OH The Good Earth, Aullwood Audubon Center, Dayton, OH 2000 |
Selected Teaching
Ghost Ranch Red Thread Retreat, Abiquiu, NM
The Foundry Art Center, St. Charles, MO
Australasian Quilt Festival, Melbourne, AU
Expertise Events, Brisbane, AU
Art Guild, Auckland, NZ
Quilting by the Lake, NY
Art & Soul Retreats – Italy, OR, VA, TX, MO
International Quilt Festivals – Houston, Chicago
Fiber Artists of San Antonio (TX)
Northern Star Quilt Guild
Quilt Cruise Sponsored by Quilting Arts Magazine
Hudson River Valley Fiberart Workshops, NY
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program, CA
Valley Ridge Art Studio, WI
Sewing Expo, MI
Artfiberfest, Seattle, WA
Great Expectations Creativity Center, TX
Art Unraveled, Phoenix, AZ
Coupeville Arts Center, WA (now Pacific Northwest Art School)
An Artful Journey, CA
Suffolk Museum, VA
Artistic Journey, Australia
Nimble Fingers Guild, MD
Quilters Unlimited Guild, VA
Arlington Arts Center, VA
North Suburban NeedleArts Guild, IL
Fresno Fiberarts Guild, CA
East Bay Heritage Quilters, CA
| Affiliations | |
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2008-Present |
Studio Art Quilt Associates Juried Member |
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2004-2010 |
Contributing Editor, Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine |
| 2004-2005 | Co-Regional Representative, Studio Art Quilt Association |
Publications
Photo Memory Quilts: The Ultimate Guide to Contemporary Heirloom Quilts to Showcase Ancestry, History, & Treasured Times (2023)
The Ultimate Guide to Transfer Artist Paper (2020)
Creative Lettering Workshop, North Light, (2015)
Inspirational Quotes Illustrated, North Light (2014)
Creative Image Transfer, C&T Publishing (2014)
Quotes Illustrated, Artist Success Press (2013)
Create with Transfer Artist Paper (TAP), C&T Publishing (2011)
Fabulous Fabric Art with Lutradur, C&T Publishing (2009)
Fabric Memory Books, Lark/Chapelle/Sterling (2007)
Quilted Memories, Chapelle/Sterling (2005)
Contributing Artist
Creating Art at the Speed of Life, Pam Carriker, 2013
Incite: Dreams Realized, The Best of Mixed Media, Tonia Jenny, 2013
Inside the Creative Studio, Cate Prato, 2011
The Savvy Crafter’s Guide to Success, Sandy McCall, 2008
Mixed Media Self-Portraits, Cate Coulacos Prato, 2008
Art Making, Collections, and Obsessions, Perrella, 2008
Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project, Karey Bresenhan, 2006
Artist Trading Card Workshop, Bernie Berlin, 2007
Beginners Guild to Art Quilts, Banar Designs, 2006
Creating with Fabric, Jill Haglund, 2008
I Remember Mama, Karey Bresenhan, 2005
Innovative Fabric Imagery for Quilts, Cindy Lyle Rymer, with Lynn Koolish, 2007
The Art of the Family Tree, Jenn Mason, 2007
Mixed Emulsions, Angela Cartwright, 2007
True Vision, Authentic Art Journaling, L.K. Ludwig, 2008
In This House, Angela Cartwright & Sarah Fishburn, 2007
Shabby and Beyond Scrapbooking Ideas, Jill Haglund, 2006
Beyond Paper Dolls, Lynne Perrella
Fabric Art Journals, Pam Sussman, 2005
The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery, Karen Michel
Alphabetica, Lynne Perrella
Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected, Claudine Hellmuth, 2005
Artists Creating with Photos, Jill Haglund
New Techniques in Wearable Art, Rïce Freeman-Zachary, 2004
Artists’ Journals & Sketchbooks, Lynne Perella, 2004
Quilted Projects From Scraps and Stash, Betty Auth, 2004
Making Creative Cloth Dolls, Marthe LeVan, 2002
Anatomy of a Doll, Susanna Oroyon, 1997
Magazines
Quilting Arts, Summer, 2026
Art Quilting Studio ,Winter 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
QuiltFolk Issue 21, Winter 2022
Quilting Arts #98, Spring 2019
élan Magazine, Just Add Water, December 2018
Studios, Fall 2014, Winter 2009, Spring 2009, Fall 2008
Quiltmaker, January, 2006
Artist’s Sketchbook, April 2006
Cloth Paper Scissors, all issues through 2007
Quilting Arts, Issues #8, 11,15, 17, 38
Somerset Studio, November 2002, March 2004, March 2009
Georgian Court University Magazine, Spring 2005
Doll Crafter & Costuming, October 2006
Frederick (MD) Magazine, June 2006
Soft Dolls & Animals, October 2002
Montgomery County Insight, January 2007
Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion, October 2006
Quiltmaker, March 2006
Scrapbooking & Beyond, February 2007
Quiltemagasinet (Denmark), May 2003
The Professional Quilter, Winter 2006
Selected Articles
Art Quilting Studio, Winter 2025
Narrative Threads, Art Quilting Studio, Spring 2024
Story Stitcher, Art Quilting Studio. Spring 2023
Wet Cyanotype Printing, Quilting Arts #98
Tapping into Image Transfers, Quilting Arts #38
Art Quilting Made Easy, Quilting Arts #17
The Wonder of Lutradur, Cloth Paper Scissors #10
Every Fabric Tells a Story, Quilting Arts #11
Inkjet Image Transfers, Somerset Studio Vol 6, Issue 6
Got It Covered: Easy Steps to a Felt Covered Head, Doll Crafter & Costuming, October 2006
Creating an Artist, Creating a Doll, Soft Dolls & Animals, October 2002
Bird Dreams, A Mixed Media Art Quilt, Cloth Paper Scissors #7
Making Time for Making Art, The Professional Quilter, Winter 2006
In Rust We Trust, Cloth Paper Scissors #15
