Born in New York City in 1936, Schley is best known for his atmospheric and evocative landscapes and portrayals of people at leisure. In addition to natural scenes of the American and Canadian Northeast – Schley landscapes executed on-the-spot at beaches and riversides depicting picnics, tennis games and sunbathers. Working with a limited palette, his ephemeral oils and watercolors capture moments of serenity both in nature and amongst friends.
Schley’s 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.