Spirit Riders - Softcover

After graduating from high school in Menomonie, Wisconsin, Brierley did a three-year stint in the Marines. He lived in northern Minnesota until he obtained his first art job in Owatonna, Minnesota, employed by Jostens Inc. as an artist designing coat of arms and mascots, specializing in wild life paintings, from 1969 to 1979. Leaving the security of that art job, he moved to South Dakota to learn more about himself and his art. During that time he lived on a ridge overlooking Bear Butte, on the northern edge of the Black Hills. Returning to Minnesota in 1983, he was employed in Winona at Wincraft, Inc., designing for 82 colleges and all pro sports pennants and other sports memorabilia. He and his wife, Barb, (an RN) moved their family to Arizona in 1987, and he was employed as a tee shirt designer/illustrator until 1989, at which time he started his writing career. While living in the Black Hills, South Dakota, he worked with a Lakota Sioux Indian who became his best friend. Teaching Barry about real events that happened to him and his Lakota family inspired him to write his first book, Wasichu. Timeless Interlude at Wounded Knee followed, and he now has seven historical fiction novels in print. He has illustrated all of the books and designed all the book covers. He also has written eight screenplays, still waiting for the first contract. “Doing research for my novels comes naturally to me,” says Brierley. “For more than forty years I have been an illustrator and painter of wildlife and Western scenes. Having a realistic style, my paintings always require a lot of research. I am a voracious reader and have acquired a vast amount of information on the Old West, especially the Sioux and their never ending conflict with the white man. A few trips to Utah and Wyoming inspired the book, Yesterday’s Bandit, Butch Cassidy’s Pursuit of Life and Honor. “I wish I had known Butch; I am sure we would have gotten along just fine,” states Brierley. Having lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Arizona, and New Mexico, Brierley can now be found at his gallery, Spirit Riders Western Emporium in Florence, Colorado, selling his paintings and books. He lives with his wife of 30 years, two dogs, two horses, and two cats on a nearby ranch.