Sylvia Riley
Work Details
🛒 Artwork for Sale · $500-$700 →About This Work
Reverence
2026
This piece evokes the gradual acceptance that comes with grief. The warped sense of perspective is intentional, our world is often altered after a loved one passes. The cape adorning the figure is reminiscent of the vintage ornate patterns we typically see on a grandmother’s quilt or furniture, here used to sanctify the mundane. For myself and my family, my grandmother’s home was and still is the epitome of holy refuge. Ultimately, by focusing on the beauty of the person, and the richness of their spirit, we can cherish and celebrate those who have transitioned.
My Aunt Jeanette!
2026
Decades ago my mother made an anthem and would have her nieces and nephews recite it (much to their chagrin). Years later, those very same relatives are happy to speak on the positive impact my mother has had on their lives. I picked vibrant tropical tones to match her vivaciousness and unique personality to shared memories of the song. My mother loves to dance to her own beat. The bands flanking her sides are my cousins singing and playing to keep their Aunt Jeanette stepping in time to her own song, “My Aunt Jeanette”. Tapestry and pattern have a prominent place in my African heritage, referenced within the symbolism and figural arrangements.
Loving Inquill
2026
This piece is part of a story I have been developing, focusing black joy. This intimate moment is created with intention by these individuals, creating an oasis for themselves amongst the coco phony of societal expectations that attempt to detract from their joy.
Loving Inquill Extended
2026
Extended development of story focusing on black joy.
Deconstruction
2026
Deconstructing the energy of the body. The figure floats above color fields emanating energy from the central points of the body along the vagus nerve where memories are stored, waiting to be released.
Artist Bio
Sylvia Riley is an African-American illustrator, puppeteer, animator, and creative writer based in Jersey City, NJ. After acquiring her BA in History from Caldwell University in 2017, Sylvia decided to follow her other passion, the arts. Her formal artistic studies have taken her around the world, from Paris to California, through various courses with the School of Visual Arts and WonderSparks Puppets. She is currently one of the Educational Arts Team's teaching artists, and her robust knowledge of multiple mediums provides a tactile and intimate touch to the Educational Arts Team’s literacy programs and theatre workshops. Sylvia is focused on teaching BIPOC youth through crafting, visual art, and storytelling. The unbound nature of memory and experience are major motifs in her work.
Mediums
Digital & Tech-Art, Miniature Design, Puppetry, Paper Engineering, Mixed Media Collage, Storyboarding, Comics