Gallery 1

Opus 65 Opus 14 Opus		Derek Riley de Cayless was born in 1931 and studied art in England and Germany, and has been working full time as an artist and sculptor in wood and stone for the past 42 years. From 1964 - 1981 he had his own gallery in Scotland working in sculpture and watercolour painting. In 1981 he moved to Norfolk, England and continued to work in the same media taking up Wood Engraving in 1972 completing over 70 Ex Libris. While in Norfolk he became involved in wood carving for Organ Builders and completed over 120 contracts for decorative carving for organs in concert halls and churches in the period 1988 - 2003, for all parts of the world, (over 60 in America) He achieved international reputation as a bookplate Artist having had his work included in the monumental repository of modern bookplate artistry edited by Artur Mota Miranda - the Encyclopaedia Bio-Bliographical of the Art of the Contemporary Ex-Libris, with an article written by Sir Harry Page (ibidem, vol. ?, Braga, 1985, pp. ). Due to his work in wood carving for Organ Builders, Derek Riley gave up engraving bookplates, one more reason for us to present his works and pay him a due hommage. Derek Riley's bookplates are exquisite creations intended to be pasted in books - making them authentic ex libris - denoting high mastery in the secrets of the ancient art of woodengraving. Calligraphic bookplates - in the best tradition of the British school which traces its roots to the medieval illuminures - as well as other themes are scholarly dealt with in well balanced and expressive prints. Particularly remarkable are the bookplates with Celtic or medieval themes such as those for Birgitt L. Nielsen (opus 14) or for C. B. Cotton. His animals and landscapes also attract our attention for the delicate lines movement and contrasts the Artits managed to achieve in the prints, as the P. Wilson (opus 32), Crosby (opus 12) and the Rodney Grant bookplates well depict. Also outstanding and revealing maturity are the bookplates engraved in 1984 for John Gartner (see Gallery 1). His ex libris are predominantly printed in one colour although the Artist made interesting incursions with colour prints, such as in the Susan Hamilton bookplate using a mixed technique (X2 and X5). Fortunatly for the exigent ex libris collector, unlike many others in the Continent, Derek Riley's testimony for the Art of the Bookplate lays not in the numbers produced but rather in their quality and authenticity in as much as they are faithful to the old ex libris tradition - a sign of ownership to be pasted in one's books. Having moved to the South of France he is a member of the Minervois Group of Artists working in oils, acrylic and water-colour. Derek Riley was elected a Member of the Society of Wood-engravers in 1978 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1983. Top

Opus 65

Opus 14

Opus

Derek Riley de Cayless was born in 1931 and studied art in England and Germany, and has been working full time as an artist and sculptor in wood and stone for the past 42 years.

From 1964 - 1981 he had his own gallery in Scotland working in sculpture and watercolour painting. In 1981 he moved to Norfolk, England and continued to work in the same media taking up Wood Engraving in 1972 completing over 70 Ex Libris.

While in Norfolk he became involved in wood carving for Organ Builders and completed over 120 contracts for decorative carving for organs in concert halls and churches in the period 1988 - 2003, for all parts of the world, (over 60 in America)

He achieved international reputation as a bookplate Artist having had his work included in the monumental repository of modern bookplate artistry edited by Artur Mota Miranda - the Encyclopaedia Bio-Bliographical of the Art of the Contemporary Ex-Libris, with an article written by Sir Harry Page (ibidem, vol. ?, Braga, 1985, pp. ).

Due to his work in wood carving for Organ Builders, Derek Riley gave up engraving bookplates, one more reason for us to present his works and pay him a due hommage.

Derek Riley's bookplates are exquisite creations intended to be pasted in books - making them authentic ex libris - denoting high mastery in the secrets of the ancient art of woodengraving.

Calligraphic bookplates - in the best tradition of the British school which traces its roots to the medieval illuminures - as well as other themes are scholarly dealt with in well balanced and expressive prints.

Particularly remarkable are the bookplates with Celtic or medieval themes such as those for Birgitt L. Nielsen (opus 14) or for C. B. Cotton.

His animals and landscapes also attract our attention for the delicate lines movement and contrasts the Artits managed to achieve in the prints, as the P. Wilson (opus 32), Crosby (opus 12) and the Rodney Grant bookplates well depict.

Also outstanding and revealing maturity are the bookplates engraved in 1984 for John Gartner (see Gallery 1).

His ex libris are predominantly printed in one colour although the Artist made interesting incursions with colour prints, such as in the Susan Hamilton bookplate using a mixed technique (X2 and X5).

Fortunatly for the exigent ex libris collector, unlike many others in the Continent, Derek Riley's testimony for the Art of the Bookplate lays not in the numbers produced but rather in their quality and authenticity in as much as they are faithful to the old ex libris tradition - a sign of ownership to be pasted in one's books.

Having moved to the South of France he is a member of the Minervois Group of Artists working in oils, acrylic and water-colour.

Derek Riley was elected a Member of the Society of Wood-engravers in 1978 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1983.

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Opus 12 (1978)

Opus 32 (1980)

Thanks are due to the Artist for his kind collaboration