Riley, Kenneth
but also to allegory and spirituality. His work has been called classical,
Descended from Irish immigrants on his father’s side and Dutch farmers on his
mother’s, he was born in Waverly, a small town by the bend of a river in north-
World War II found Coast Guard Specialist Second Class Kenneth Riley on duty as
one of the conflict’s most honored combat artists. Following the war, Riley
found fame as an illustrator, starting with The Saturday Evening Post and later
working with Life and National Geographic. After he was chosen to paint Teton
and Yellowstone National Parks as part of the Society of Illustrators’ Artists
in the Parks program and was invited to teach at Brigham Young University in
Since then, Riley has shown his work at the Royal Western Watercolor
Exhibition, the Tucson Art Museum, the Driscol Collection of American Western
Art in Beijing and the Denver Historical Society. His many awards include
Silver and Gold Medals, the Stetson Award, the Museum Roundup Award and Best in
Show by the Cowboy Artists of America. His paintings can be found in the
permanent collections of the White House, the Smithsonian Institution, the Air
Force Academy and the West Point Museum. He won the Prix de West, Western art’s