Original Oil Paintings

Bil (William-reed) Harley

I began painting in 1992 whilst on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales. I was born in Co. Durham and have always been attracted to the countryside which is the major influence in my paintings. I choose to paint with oils because on the day after my vist to the Dales I saw a special offer on a five pack of Windsor and Newton oil colours. It was pure chance but the tactile character and odour of the turpentine got me 'hooked'.

In 1994 I was accepted as an associate member of the “Salon D’Hiver” in Lyon where I have lived for the last 30 years or so. At the 2000 Salon I was awarded the “ Prix des Presidents” Since then I have taken part in over 30 exhibitions in the Rhone-Alpes, Loire and the Ardeche regions. Between 2002 and 2004 I had six shows of my own in galleries in Lyon and the Ardeche region.

From 2004 to 2008 illness forced me to stop painting but I began again and in 2009 was invited to become a member of the Society Lyonnaise des Beaux Arts which was established in 1887. 

I was then invited to show my work at the inauguration of a beautiful gallery, LIONNES DE KAOLIN, in the picturesque village of Oingt-en-Beaujolais. http://galerie-lionnes-de-kaolin.fr/

I am now looking for a way of showing and selling my work without the hassel of transporting paintings and looking for galleries so I hope this site will prove to be the solution.