Howard Riley

Director of Studies, Research Degrees
Howard Riley Headshot

Background

Howard Riley studied at the Hammersmith College of Art, Coventry College of Art, and the Royal College of Art.  He holds a doctorate of the University of Wales in the practice and pedagogy of drawing. He taught at various art schools in London before taking up a post in the School of Art and Design, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, where he studied with Professor Michael O’Toole, a pioneer of visual semiotics at Murdoch University in Perth.  

He has published in the areas of  visual semiotics, generative art, multi-modality, and psychological factors relating to drawing ability. His drawings have been exhibited in Australia, Malaysia, Finland, Serbia and the UK.

Specialist Subjects

  • Pedagogy of Drawing
  • Art and Design

Professional and/or Research Experience

Chair, Research & Postgraduate Studies Committee, Swansea College of Art 2004-14.
Coordinator, Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2001, 2008, Swansea College of Art.
Coordinator, Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, Swansea College of Art.
Contributor, REF 2021, Swansea College of Art.
Member, UK Research & Innovation Research Panel 2024-
Member, Peer Review College, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) 2007-10
Board Member, Wales Institute for Research in Art & Design (WIRAD) 2007-15.
Chair, National Association for Fine Art Education (NAFAE) Research Symposium, London Metropolitan University, March 2015.
Member, Advisory Board, Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education journal.
Associate Editor, International Journal for the Arts in Society.
Associate Editor, International Journal of the Image.
Co-editor, Tracey, online journal for drawing research, Loughborough Univ. School of Art & Design.

Qualifications

  • PhD
  • MA (Royal College of Art)
  • Cert. Des.

Languages Spoken

English

Professional Membership or Roles

Fellow, Royal Society of Arts
Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Eastern Arts Research Centre, Malaysian Institute of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
International Association for Semiotic Studies.
Steering Group, National Association for Fine Art Education (NAFAE).
Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Peer Review College. (2007-10)
International Drawing and Cognition Research Group (Thinking Through Drawing)
Drawing Research Network.
International Society for Education Through Art. (InSEA)

Academic Teaching

Link to Orcid Profile

ORCID Research profile

Professional Publications

  • "The Case for an Interdisciplinary Approach to Environmental Design". A Journal from the Royal College of Art. London: Royal College of Art. 1976.
  • "In the Upper Afan Valley". Planet. The Welsh Internationalist. Cardiff: Arts Council. 1978.
  • "Notes on Drawing. Image-making as a Language" Gazette Vol. 14 No 2 Centre for Communication and the Arts, Perth, W. Australia 1981.
  • "The Quality Event" Praxis M No. 4, pp40-1. Praxis Centre for Contemporary Arts, Fremantle, W. Australia 1984.
  • "The Relationship between Design, Industry and Education" Craftwest No. 4, December 1988. Perth: Craft Council of Western Australia.
  • "Design, Ecology and Production" W.A.D. The Journal of the Design Institute. Perth, W. Australia 1988.
  • "The Magic of Advertising" Campaign Brief, Perth, W. Australia 1988.
  • "Ecology. We Spoke the Word as if a Wedding Vow" Point Blank: Newsletter of Designers for the Planet. No 2, Perth, W. Australia 1990.
  • "Design in Context" Proceedings of the Forum on University Teaching and Learning, Curtin University, Perth, W. Australia 1991. Also published in Émigré Vol.21, 1991, and Statements Vol.6 No.3 American Center for Design, 1991.
  • "The Meaning of Style" W.A.D: The Journal of the Design Institute. Perth, W. Australia 1991.
  • "Perception, Language and Meaning" W.A.D: The Journal of the Design Institute. Perth, W. Australia 1991.
  • “Where Do Meanings Come From? The Social Semiotics of Design” Designjournalen. The Journal of the Swedish Industrial Design Institute. Vol 4 No 1 1997 Stockholm. pp16-21.
  • “Drawing and Culturally-conditioned Perception” Tracey. The Online Journal of Drawing Research. 2000. http:// www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ac/tracey/thin/riley.html
  • “Drawing as Transformation: From Primary Geometry to Secondary Geometry” Tracey. The Online Journal of Drawing Research, 2002. http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ac/tracey/rep/riley.html
  • “Firing Practice: Drawing as Empowerment” Journal of Visual Art Practice Vol.1 No.3 2002 pp150-161.
  • “Mapping the Domain of Drawing” International Journal of Art & Design Education. Vol.23 No.3 2002 pp258-272.
  • “Perceptual Modes, Semiotic Codes, Social Mores” Visual Communication. Vol. 3 No.3 2004 pp294-315.
  • “Beyond the Horizon: Future Directions for the Teaching of Visual Arts Practice” Journal of Visual Art Practice. Vol.6 No.1 2007 pp73-80.
  • “The Multi-modal Matrix – A Laboratory of Devices: Film and the Formalist Legacy” Co-author Hughes, A.U. Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema. Vol.1 No.2 2007, pp191-209.
  • “An Art Pedagogy for a Changing Artworld” The International Journal of the Arts in Society. Vol.2 Issue 5 2008 pp63-66.
  • “Drawing: Towards an Intelligence of Seeing” Chapter in Garner, S. (ed.) 2008 Writing on Drawing: Essays on Drawing Practice and Research. Bristol/Chicago: Intellect/Univ. of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-1-84150-200-7.
  • “Drawing and Dyslexia: Some Recent Research” Co-author Rankin, Q. In Brunswick, N. (ed.) 2009 The Dyslexia Handbook 2009-10. Bracknell: British Dyslexia Association. pp174-180. ISBN 978-1-872653-50-1.
  • “Towards a Syntax of Visual Delight” Tracey: The Online Journal of Drawing Research. May 2009 http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ac/tracey/edu/riley.html.
  • “Making Sense of Art: The Relationship between Art Criticism and Theories of Visual Hermeneutics” The International Journal of the Arts in Society. Vol.4 Issue 1 2009 pp1-6.
  • “A Systemic-Functional Semiotic Model for the Analysis of Image/Text Works” Co-author O’Donohoe, E. In Tarasti, E. (ed.) 2009 Communication:Understanding/Misunderstanding.Proceedings of the 9th World Congress of the International Association for Semiotic
  • “Art Students Who Cannot Draw: Exploring the Relations between Drawing Ability, Visual Memory, Accuracy of Copying, and Dyslexia” Co-authors McManus, I.C., Chamberlain, R., Loo, P-W., Rankin, Q., Brunswick, N. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the
  • “Perception-Surface-Contrast: Recent Paintings by Howard Taylor” In Sheerer, D. (ed.) 2010 Howard Taylor: A Major Exhibition of Three-Dimensional Works, and Associated Paintings and Drawings. Catalogue of Retrospective Exhibition, Perth, W. Australia: Gal
  • “A Journey Through Space” In Haslett, S.K. (ed.) 2010 Linking Research & Teaching in Wales. York: Higher Education Academy. pp47-49. ISBN 978-1-907207-20-4.
  • “Relational Art as Social Semiotic” The International Journal of the Arts in Society. Vol 6 Issue 3, 2011 pp21-32.
  • “Making an Essay: Inclusive Learning, a New Assessment for Visual Learners” Co-author, Davies, M. 2011 Journal of Writing in Creative Practice Vol. 4 No. 2, pp153-176.
  • “On the Structure of Textual and Visual Dissertations” Co-authors Davies, M. and Hazel, P. Journal of Writing in Creative Practice. Vol. 4 No. 2 2011 pp239-259.
  • “Drawing at the Critical Edge: A Systemic-functional Approach to the Analysis of Visual Work” Co-author Roberts, A. In Schmidt, F.A. (ed.) 2012 Edge of Our Thinking: Research in Art & Design. London: Royal College of Art. pp56-63.
  • “The Perceptual Foundations of Drawing Ability” Co-authors Chamberlain, R., McManus, C., Rankin, Q. and Brunswick, N. In Kantrowitz, A., Brew, A. and Fava, M. (eds.) 2011 Thinking Through Drawing: Practice into Knowledge. New York City: Columbia Universit
  • “The Social Semiotic Potential of Gestural Drawing” Co-author Roberts, A. Journal of Visual Art Practice. Vol.11 No.1 2012 pp 63-73. Journal guest editor Howard Riley.
  • “Drawing as Worldmaking: Revitalising the Life Room” Co-author Roberts, A. (Paper presented at the Drawing Research Network conference, Loughborough Univ., Sept. 2012. ) In Tracey. The Online Journal of Drawing Research. Available at: http://www.lboro.ac.
  • “Learning to Perceive: Informing Pedagogical Practice Through the Empirical Study of Drawing” Co-authors Rankin, Q., Chamberlain, R., McManus, C., Brunswick, N. In Kantrowitz, A., Brew, A., Fava, M. (eds.) 2013 Thinking Through Drawing: Practice into Know
  • “Visual Art and Social Structure: The Social Semiotics of Relational Art” Visual Communication. Vol.12 Issue 2. 2013 pp207-216.
  • “Channels of Vision and the Poetics of Drawing: Strategies for Teaching” Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. Vol.12 No. 3. 2013.
  • “Local Processing Enhancements Associated with Superior Observational Drawing are Due to Enhanced Perceptual Functioning, Not Weak Central Coherence” Co-authors Chamberlain, R., McManus, C., Brunswick, N., Rankin, Q. In The Quarterly Journal of Experiment
  • “Cain’s House Task Revisited and Revived: Extending Theory and Methodology for Quantifying Drawing Accuracy” Co-authors Chamberlain, R., McManus, C., Brunswick, N., Rankin, Q. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts. The Journal of the American
  • “Towards a Multimodal Model for the Teaching and Production of Narrative Film” Co-author Hughes, A.U. Chapter in Montagna, E. (ed.) 2013 Readings in Intersemiosis and Multimedia. Como/Pavia: Ibis publishing. pp133-147. ISBN 978-88-71644325
  • “Bridging Civilisations: The Application of Systemic-Functional Semiotics in the Comparison of Drawings from China and Europe” Co-author Roberts, A. Chinese Semiotic Studies. Vol.10 No.2. 2014. pp.53-69.
  • “Drawing and Emerging Research: The Acquisition of Experiential Knowledge through Drawing as a Methodological Strategy” Co-author Roberts, A. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. Vol. 2014.
  • “The Gendered Image: Deconstructing Life Drawing” Co-author Roberts, A. The International Journal of the Image. Vol. 4. 2014. pp77-86.
  • “Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain: A Voxel-based Morphometry Analysis of Observational Drawing” Co-authors Chamberlain, R., McManus, C., Brunswick, N., Rankin, Q., Kanai, R. Neuroimage. Vol. 96. 2014. pp167-173.
  • “Analysing Pictures: A Systemic-functional Semiotic Model for Drawing” Chapter in Christie, C. and Maiorani, A. (eds.) 2014 Analysing Multimodal Discourse: Systemic Functional Linguistics meets Pragmatics. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-82523-8
  • “Scratching the Surface: Learning Styles. Training and the Acquisition of High-level Representational Drawing Skills” Co-authors Chamberlain, R., McManus, C., Brunswick, N. and Rankin, Q. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts. The Journal of t
  • “Seeing Into Drawing” Art & Perception. Vol.4. 2016. pp57-71.
  • “Interpreting Pictures: A Systemic-Functional Semiotic Model for Visual Imagery” In Bankov, K. (ed.) 2017 New Semiotics: Between Tradition and Innovation. Proceedings of the 12th World Congress of the International Association for Semiotic Studies (IASS).
  • “Are Portrait Artists Superior Face Recognisers? Limited Impact of Adult Experience on Face Recognition Ability” Co-authors Tree, J., Horry, R., Wilmer, J. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. Vol. 43. 2017. pp667-676.
  • “Talking the Line: Inclusive Strategies for the Teaching of Drawing” Co-authors Rankin, Q., Brunswick, N., McManus, C. and Chamberlain, R. Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice. Vol. 2 No. 2. 2017. pp287-304.
  • “Drawing as Driver of Creativity: Nurturing an Intelligence of Seeing in Art Students” International Journal of Art & Design Education. Vol. 36 No. 3. 2017. pp273-280.
  • “Aesthetic Cognitivism: Towards a Concise Case for Doctoral Research through Practices in the Visual Arts” Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. Vol.18 No.4 2019. pp430-443.
  • “Drawing as Language. The Systemic-Functional Semiotic Argument” Journal of Visual Art Practice. Vol.18 No.2 2019 pp132-144.
  • “Beware the ‘Slipperiness of Cognitivism’: The Concise Case for Doctoral Research through Practices in the Visual Arts” Wales Journal of Learning & Teaching in Higher Education. Vol. 2 No. 1 2019 pp95-107.
  • “Learning Drawing: Sustaining the Primacy of Drawing in a Neoliberal Artschool Curriculum” Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice. Vol. 4 No. 2 2019 pp299-309.
  • “The Case for the Primacy of Visualcy within a Neoliberal Art School Curriculum” Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. Vol. 20 No. 2 2021 pp133-154. Online DOI: 10.1177/1474022220903444
  • Observational Drawing for Students with Dyslexia. Co-author Rankin, Q. 2021 London & Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publ. ISBN 978-1-78775-142-2.
  • “Egological meets Ecological: Drawing Aspects in Perspective(s)” Co-author Newell, R. Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice. Vol.6 No.2 2021 pp307-332.
  • “A Contemporary Pedagogy of Drawing” Journal of Visual Art Practice. 20th Anniversary Issue, Vol.20 No.4 2021 pp 323-349.
  • “Drawing Matters” Co-author Darlington, M. Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education. Vol.21 No.1 2022 pp115-130.
  • “The Drive to Draw: Perceptual Attention and Communicative Intention” Leonardo Vol.56 No.5. pp501-8. 2023.
  • “Visualcy: the Progenitor of Literacy and Numeracy” Journal of Visual Literacy. Vol.43 No.1 pp46-65. 2024
  • “The Domains of Aesthetics and Perception Theories. A Review relevant to Practice-based Doctoral Theses in the Visual Arts”. Journal of Aesthetic Education. Vol.58 No.2 pp78-126. 2024.
  • “Assessing Practice-based Research in the Visual Arts: A Proposed New Criterion”. Studies in Graduate & Postdoctoral Education. Vol.16 No.2 pp134-148. 2025. https://www.emerald.com/insight/2398-4686.htm
  • “Drawing as Semogenic Language. A New Pedagogy”. Chapter in The Bloomsbury Handbook of Drawing Research. London: Bloomsbury. Forthcoming 2026.

Available to Supervise Doctoral Students

Yes