Painter and printmaker Gregory "Greg" Wiley Edwards was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1948. His family then relocated to Houston, Texas, where, despite the struggles that came with segregation for his African American family, his childhood was filled with music and art. Later, he was introduced to the writings of Malcolm X and James Baldwin by his older brother, the sculptor Melvin Edwards. Greg's first creative focus was photography, and in 1964 he followed his brother to Los Angeles, California to pursue a professional photography career. There he was able to work for James Baldwin, and through his brother was introduced to the artists Daniel Larue Johnson, Virginia Jaramillo, Ron Miyashiro, Marvin Harden, and others. A chance meeting with Charliw White led to a lifelong friendship, and White became one of Edwards' first collectors.

Around 1966 Edwards joined the street theater group Bodacious Buggerilla, and soon was also a part of the Studio Z art collective, a major participant in the Alternative Artspace movement focused on promoting the work of Black and other marginalized artists.

In 1969, following the birth of his son with wife Penelope, Edwards felt inspired to find a new artistic endeavor and began teaching himself how to draw. Of particular interest was African symbolism, and he began a series of pen and ink drawings that would continue to appear in future works. He also hosted the Yoruban artist Lamidi Fakeye, a wood carver from Ile-Ife, Nigeria, introducing him to the Los Angeles art scene. 

In 1971 Edwards enrolled in the California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita, California (1971-1973) where he studied under Matsumi Kanemitsu and Emerson Woeffler. He then moved north to attend the Art Intitute of San Francisco (1973-1974). While there he was given his first show at the Esther Bear Gallery, and he soon began exhibiting regularly throughout California and the U.S. Later shows would take him to Italy and Austria as well.

In addition to his fine art career, Edwards began organizing seminars on Black art with the Black Economics Union and symposiums on the importance of public art. He would also go on to serve on the Arts Advisory Panel for the Cultural Affairs Commission of Los Angeles; the Advisory and Grants Panels for the California Arts Council, and as a liaison between the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Small Business Administration (see: www.gregoryedwardsstudio.com).

From 2021 to 2024 Edwards' work was included in the traveling exhibition "On the Edge: Los Angeles Art from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection," Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA. Gregory Wiley Edwards continues to work from his home in Sonoma County, California.