News

2004

In August Harold and Ashraf went to Turnberry to watch his old friend Jack Nicklaus play in the seniors. They were entertained to dinner by Jack and Barbara and Arnold Palmer.

The Open championship this year was held at Royal St Georges, Riley visited the course during the championships and made various sketches on the course, he completed some studies of Greg Norman who was playing 10 years after his win at Sandwich in that years Open.  

On 19^th July Nelson Mandela was 85 years old. He asked Riley if he could use one of the drawings the artist had made to accompany a quotation by himself as a gift for each of the 1600 guests at the party in Johannesburg.  Mr Mandela chose the drawing, shown here, and wrote his quotation to be framed with it.

June

Sir Alex Ferguson had a golf day which H R supported by giving a sketch book page of drawings showing Brian Robson, the former Manchester United player,  the sketch was auctioned that evening and was finally bought for £18,000 by Roy Keane the Manchester United captain.  The Scottish open at Loch Lomond was attended by Harold Riley and his wife Ashraf.  Being an honorary  member he was welcomed by Lyle Anderson, the president, to whom the Alfred Dunhill Company presented the latest in Riley’s engraved sterling silver lighters which he has designed for the Dunhill Company, it is part of a serious entitled ‘Great Golf Courses of the World’ and the one presented to loch Lomond shows Roshdu house on one side and an image of Nick Faldo on the other.  Riley is an honorary life member at loch Lomond and was happy to see his friend Ernie Els win the tournament.

Around the end of May Harold Riley went to Ohio to attend Jack Nicklaus  memorial tournament.  He has recorded this tournament and attended it for the last 15 consecutive years.  He has formed a deep and lasting friendship with the great golfer and his family.  The picture shows Jack's sister and his brother in law, Howdy, with whom the artist stays. 

Three illustrated letters relating to Ben Hogan’s 1953 Open Championship win at Carnoustie, have been presented by the Artist to the Club.  Two of the letters were written to the Artists brother, Michael.  The third letter was written to Lee Davis, a friend and member of the Los Angeles Country Club who sent to Riley Jim Murray’s obituary of Ben Hogan printed in the Los Angeles Times.

On 28^th April Harold Riley met His Royal Highness Prince Charles at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls to which he presented two separate studies of Prince Charles and his Grandmother, Elizabeth the Queen Mother.  The pictures hang in a splendid new Library at the School and Prince Charles seemed delighted to see an image of his Grandmother, to whom he was so close.

Harold Riley visited Alex Ferguson at the Manchester United training ground.  When Alex had his testimonial the Artist presented him with a unique sketch book covering an entire football match between Manchester United and Bayer Munich in the European Cup Final.

 The Artists studio is now working on making a very small, perfectly replicated edition of the sketch book.  The two friends, Alex and Harold, will sign the edition and, at their meeting, discussed the affairs of the project.

During early February Harold Riley shared a splendid lunch, in Cape Town , with Nelson Mandela and Johann Rupert.  At the lunch it was arranged that the former president would sit, the following morning, for a portrait session at his house.  It was a happy occasion for the artist and Mr Mandela who laughed together as they sat with the panorama of Table Mountain outside the window. 

During the sitting Mr Mandela’s wife telephoned and he received the call, he wished her a Happy Valentines day although it was only 11^th February, she said it is not Valentines Day but he responded by saying ‘today it is 13 years since I was released from prison, let us call it our Valentines Day’.  After the sitting the artist went back to his room and made a valentine card for the former president to give to his wife. The card is reproduced this month at the beginning of this website and will be on the wedding invitation for the artist’s daughter, Sara, who is to marry in August.

2002