A child of the 50's, Riki Nemser-Crowley grew up on Long Island's south shore in a hope-filled world of new split-level homes, beach days, snow days, and Nunley's Carousel days. Riki spent her formative hippie college years at NYU studying with renowned artists Duane Hanson and Robert Kaupelis, taking additional classes with John Moore at The New School, summer courses at Pratt Institute, and getting her graduate degree at CW Post. In 1972 she began her career as an art teacher at Mineola High School, where she discovered that the joy and experience of inspiring others is the most valuable education you can receive.

Riki married her high school sweetheart, Kieran Crowley, who became a journalist and best-selling author. They traveled to China to adopt their daughter, Ariel, and brought her back to their Long Island home. These experiences fueled Riki's unique expressions - the strange reality of suburban life, the silly, the comedic, the dreams of what can be when line and color collide with our hopes and fears.

Riki's work, which slips gracefully between the surreal, the mystical and the magical, has won awards at local art shows. She has also published Nightlights, an illustrated book for children from 8 to 108.