About
Schley is well known for his ephemeral, plein air oil and watercolor paintings, which capture moments of serenity in nature, amongst friends. Picnics and sunbathers are common themes, as are beach and riverside landscapes. Schley begins with observations about the fundamental elements of a subject, allowing those to evolve and meld with his own imagined imagery. Working with a limited palette, Schley allows colors to flow and accumulate, offering a somewhat fragmented explanation of what he sees. He focuses attention on the subject(s) that initially drew him into the painting, whether that is the weather, vegetation, the ocean, or individual clothing or stance. He weeds out extraneous information to get to the heart of what he sees, leaving space for viewers to fill with their own experience. Reeve Schley was born in New York City in 1936. He received a BA from Yale University, an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania, studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with Francis Speight and Franklin Watkins, and studied in Munich with Josef Buchty. Recent exhibitions include Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; Brooklyn Museum of Art; New Jersey State Museum; and Drew University, NJ. His work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Newark Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum of Art; Yale University; New Jersey State Museum; and the National Academy, where he was the recipient of the Schweitzer Prize. Schley lives and works on his farm in Whitehouse, NJ, where he raises cattle. Geary Contemporary was founded in 2013 in New York City by Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary. The gallery first opened its doors in the Lower East Side, and then moved to its current location on Varick Street in West Soho. Geary was founded with the mission to represent and support emerging and mid-career artists working in a variety of media. The gallery presents solo and group exhibitions in the gallery and at art fairs, and places artist work in major institutions, seeking to raise artist profiles and exposure. Geary represents thirteen artists, with an emphasis on those from New York City and the Midwest. The gallery presents approximately seven exhibitions a year and participates in major art fairs, including EXPO Chicago, the Dallas Art Fair, and NADA Miami Beach.
