INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' 2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'Paul RyanINSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' 2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'Paul RyanINSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' 2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'Paul RyanINSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' 2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'Paul RyanINSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' 2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'Paul RyanINSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' 2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'Paul RyanINSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float' 2024
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'Paul RyanINSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'
INSTALLATION VIEW 'Float'2024
Float 10 Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Float 10
Float 10 2024
Float 10Paul RyanFloat 10
Float 102024
oil on canvas
91 x 76 cm
$8,000  ENQUIRE
Portrait of a Wave Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Portrait of a Wave
Portrait of a Wave 2024
Portrait of a WavePaul RyanPortrait of a Wave
Portrait of a Wave2024
oil on canvas
61 x 51 cm
SOLD  ENQUIRE
Parrot, Inlet Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Parrot, Inlet
Parrot, Inlet 2024
Parrot, InletPaul RyanParrot, Inlet
Parrot, Inlet2024
oil on canvas
52 x 76 cm
SOLD  ENQUIRE
The Light Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - The Light
The Light 2024
The LightPaul RyanThe Light
The Light2024
oil on canvas
61 x 51 cm
$4,500  ENQUIRE
Float 4 Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Float 4
Float 4 2024
Float 4Paul RyanFloat 4
Float 42024
oil on canvas
102 x 76 cm
SOLD  ENQUIRE
Colonial and Hound Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Colonial and Hound
Colonial and Hound 2024
Colonial and HoundPaul RyanColonial and Hound
Colonial and Hound2024
oil on linen
138 x 122 cm
$17,000  ENQUIRE
Float 2 Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Float 2
Float 2 2024
Float 2Paul RyanFloat 2
Float 22024
oil on canvas
102 x 76 cm
$9,000  ENQUIRE
The Storm Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - The Storm
The Storm 2024
The StormPaul RyanThe Storm
The Storm2024
oil on canvas
92 x 76 cm
$8,000  ENQUIRE
Float 5 Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Float 5
Float 5 2024
Float 5Paul RyanFloat 5
Float 52024
oil on canvas
102 x 76 cm
SOLD  ENQUIRE
Red King Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Red King
Red King 2024
Red KingPaul RyanRed King
Red King2024
oil on linen
138 x 112 cm
$17,000  ENQUIRE
Portrait of A Cloud Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Portrait of A Cloud
Portrait of A Cloud 2024
Portrait of A CloudPaul RyanPortrait of A Cloud
Portrait of A Cloud2024
oil on canvas
91 x 76 cm
$8,000  ENQUIRE
Float 6 Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Float 6
Float 6 2024
Float 6Paul RyanFloat 6
Float 62024
oil on canvas
91 x 76 cm
SOLD  ENQUIRE
Float 1 Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Float 1
Float 1 2024
Float 1Paul RyanFloat 1
Float 12024
oil on canvas
102 x 76 cm
$9,000  ENQUIRE
Float 9 Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Float 9
Float 9 2024
Float 9Paul RyanFloat 9
Float 92024
oil on canvas
91 x 76 cm
$8,000  ENQUIRE
Alone Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Alone
Alone 2024
AlonePaul RyanAlone
Alone2024
oil on canvas
61 x 51 cm
$4,500  ENQUIRE
Float 8 Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Float 8
Float 8 2024
Float 8Paul RyanFloat 8
Float 82024
oil on canvas
91 x 76 cm
$8,000  ENQUIRE
Drunken Sailor Paul Ryan Paul Ryan - Drunken Sailor
Drunken Sailor 2024
Drunken SailorPaul RyanDrunken Sailor
Drunken Sailor2024
oil on canvas
61 x 51 cm
$4,500  ENQUIRE

FLOAT

I have read that when the aboriginal people of the Illawarra saw the tall ships floating past on the ocean, they thought that maybe their ancestors were returning in something like a ghostly form.

I can only imagine how seeing these towering sails must have stunned and amazed the indigenous inhabitants. They were literally seeing UFOs, Unidentified Floating Objects.

These paintings are a reflection on the vision and the inevitable outcome of these alien beings arriving on their home shores.

Paul Ryan, 2024

Paul Ryan 'Float'

When Paul Ryan paints the landscape, it’s not the scenery so much as the forgotten histories of his local area that he seeks to explore. Never straying far from his home base in Thirroul, a suburb of Wollongong noted for post-colonial industries including whaling, logging, and mining, Ryan repeatedly finds himself searching for the footprints of the people who came before him. Multi-layered contemplations on the impact of invasion and colonisation, his work examines the damage to natural and social worlds that once existed in the dark, hilly bushland of the NSW South Coast, and the alternative realities that might otherwise have been.

A keen surfer, Ryan is afforded a dramatic panoramic view of the Illawarra Escarpment and its coastal plain from the ocean that ignites imagination and provokes reflection on the absurdity of colonialism - the clash of cultures that occurred, the pompous naivety of Europeans entering the landscape in long woollen coats and oversized hats, and the bewilderment traditional land owners must have felt when they first encountered such a sight. Manifesting the ghosts of the past, Ryan brings them to life with strong visuals and a wry sense of humour, much like a novelist might construct a work of creative non-fiction. Though very little of the region’s beginnings are on public record, Ryan possesses a compulsive fascination with colonisation and the ongoing ramifications of white settlement, and uses this knowledge to recreate lost history. Adopted in New Zealand at birth and brought to Australia as a young child, Ryan can empathise with what it means to be both powerless to involuntary displacement, and an outsider in a new land.

This search for hidden memories within the northern Illawarra’s bush might also provide the perfect analogy for how Ryan tackles the other aspect of his practice, that of portraiture. Though his landscapes have been acclaimed within the Australian art scene for almost three decades, it is his singular way of depicting the human face that has most recently garnered attention. A continuation of his Australian historical theme, Ryan’s approach to portraiture is much the same as that of his landscapes – that the overall view is a blank canvas upon which he can envisage endless alternatives. In the same way he fixates on one particular environment, so too does he limit his range of sitters to paint only those with whom he is personally familiar and whose features are so well known to him as to no longer be a distraction. Pushing beyond external appearances, he eschews painting an obvious likeness in order to discover underlying characters and personality traits; a process that turns his small band of recognisable friends into almost unidentifiable grotesques of themselves, their features manipulated to suit new roles in his grand narrative.

Born in New Zealand in 1964, Paul Ryan moved to Australia with his parents in 1973. Exhibiting his work since 1988, he won the 2015 Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize at Lismore Regional Gallery for his portrait of Noah Taylor, and is a previous winner of multiple national painting prizes. In 2010, he was the winner of the Paddington Art Prize for his work 'Not a sound out of the hills, no more than smoke.' His winning of the 2010 Paddington Art Prize preceded his selection as a Finalist in the Archibald Prize. Furthermore, Paul Ryan is a thirteen-time finalist in the Archibald Prize, he has received manifold highly respected award nominations throughout his career including the Fleurieu Landscape Prize, the Mosman Art Prize, the Doug Moran National Portraiture Prize, the Blake Prize, and the Wynne and Sulman Prizes. His work is held in both public and private collection throughout Australia and internationally.

Carrie McCarthy

Paul Ryan

Born 1964, Auckland, New Zealand

Lives and works in Thirroul, Australia

EDUCATION

1990

  • Bachelor of Creative Arts, University of Wollongong, New South Wales

AWARDS AND PRIZES

2024

  • Finalist, The Paddington Art Prize, Sydney

2023

  • Finalist, Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Gallery

2022

  • Finalist with Christopher Zanko, Sir John Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Salon des Refuses (Archibald), SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney
  • Finalist, Kilgour Art Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery

2021

  • Finalist, Kilgour Art Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery
  • Finalist, Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Gallery

2020

  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Sir John Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Gallery

2019

  • Finalist, Paddington Art Prize
  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Sir John Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Paddington, New South Wales
  • Finalist, Tattersalls Landscape Art Prize, Tattersalls Club, Brisbane
  • Finalist, Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, New South Wales

2018

  • Finalist, Kilgour Prize, Newcastle Gallery
  • Finalist, Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Gallery
  • Runner Up, The Vincent Art Prize, Duck Rabbit Gallery, Redfern
  • Highly Commended, Wynne Art Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales

2017

  • Finalist, Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra

2016

  • Finalist, Kilgour Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery
  • Finalist, Plein Air Prize, New South Wales Parliament House
  • Honourable mention, Paddington Art Prize, Sydney

2015

  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Winner, Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize, Lismore Regional Gallery
  • Finalist, Mosman Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney

2014

  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Runner up, Mosman Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
  • Finalist, Doug Moran Prize, Paddington, Sydney

2013

  • Winner, The Bay of Fires Art Prize, Bay of Fires, Tasmania
  • Finalist, Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Fleurieu Landscape Prize, McLaren Vale, South Australia
  • Finalist, Mosman Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
  • Finalist, Tattersalls Art Prize, Brisbane
  • Finalist, Blake Prize, Sydney
  • Finalist, Fishers Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown
  • Semi-finalist, Doug Moran Portrait Prize

2012

  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Winner, Geelong Contemporary Art Prize, Geelong Regional Gallery
  • Finalist, Fishers Ghost Prize, Campbelltown Gallery
  • Finalist, Tattersalls Prize, Brisbane
  • Semi-finalist, Doug Moran Prize, Paddington, Sydney

2011

  • Finalist, Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, The Tattersalls Prize, Brisbane
  • Finalist, Fishers Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown
  • Finalist, Mosman Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
  • Finalist, Paddington Art prize, Sydney
  • Finalist, Kedumba Prize, Wentworth Falls
  • Finalist, Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Paddington, Sydney
  • Finalist, NSW Parliament Plein Air Prize, New South Wales Parliament House

2010

  • Winner, Paddington Art Prize, Sydney
  • Winner, The Norvil Prize, Murrurundi, New South Wales
  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Fishers Ghost Prize, Campbelltown Regional Gallery
  • Finalist, Mosman Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024

  • 'Le Capitaine', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Float', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2023

  • 'Coledale. Backwash and Campfire Smoke', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2022

  • 'Rococo Dreaming', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • 'The Island’, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney

2021

  • 'South by Southwest', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Becalmed', James Makin Gallery, Melbourne

2020

  • 'The Botanist', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • 'South Pacific', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Joseph Banks. South Coast Diaries', James Makin Gallery, Melbourne

2019

  • 'Cyan Summer', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2018

  • 'Yeah The Boys', James Makin Gallery, Sydney
  • Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, James Makin Gallery, Sydney
  • ‘The Colonies, South by Southeast’, EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2017

  • 'Happy Days in the Colony', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • ‘The Colonies’, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney

2016

  • 'Queen and Country', Olsen Irwin, Sydney
  • 'Frank and Paul', Egg and Dart Gallery, Thirroul, New South Wales

2015

  • 'Birds of Wollongong', Olsen Irwin, Sydney
  • 'Stalking Noah', Gallery Ecosse, Exeter

2014

  • 'Happy Days on the Leisure Coast', Olsen Irwin, Sydney

2013

  • 'Wild Colonial Boys', Olsen Irwin, Sydney

2012

  • 'Wild Colonial Boys', Egg and Dart, Rex Irwin Art Dealer
  • Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney

2010

  • Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney
  • 'No Country for Dreaming', Wollongong City Gallery
  • Michael Reid, Murrurundi, New South Wales
  • Clifton School of Arts

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024

  • 'Coming Home', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Once Upon A Midnight Dreary', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney

2023

  • 'Landscape and Memory', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney

2022

  • 'The Summer Salon', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2021

  • '9 x 5''', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Place', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney

2019

  • 'The New Gallery Show ', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • 'Spring Show', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Post Cards From Twin Peaks', Paul Ryan and James Drinkwater, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Landscape Obscura', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney

2018

  • 'Summer Show', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney

2017

  • 'Summer Show', Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • ‘Coast’, EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney
  • Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, James Maikin Gallery, Victoria

2015

  • 'Group Show', This is No Fantasy, Melbourne

2014

  • 'Group Show', Station, Melbourne

2013

  • 'Green Cathedral', Wollongong City Gallery

2011

  • 'BIG/small', Rex Irwin Art Dealer

2009

  • 'Heads', Rex Irwin Art Dealer

Collections

  • Artbank
  • Bendigo Art Gallery
  • Geelong Regional Gallery
  • Lismore Regional Gallery
  • Mosman Art Gallery
  • Manly Art Gallery
  • Wollongong Regional Art Gallery
  • Wollongong University Collection
  • Private collections in Australia and Internationally

September 8, 2024

CONGRATULATIONS TO PAUL RYAN WHO IS A FINALIST IN THIS YEAR'S PADDINGTON ART PRIZE

We are delighted to share that Paul Ryan is a finalist in the 2024 Paddington Art Prize with his work ‘Landscape. Unidentified floating object’.

‘The indigenous people of the Illawarra when they first saw the tall ships of the British floating past thought it was their ancestors’ ghosts returning.’

The Paddington Art Prize is a $30,000 National acquisitive prize, awarded annually for a painting inspired by the Australian landscape. The exhibition of finalists will be held at the Art Leven Gallery from 10 - 20 October 2024.

IMAGE:

‘Landscape. Unidentified floating object’ 2024
oil on linen
123 x 122 cm

READ MORE HERE

September 2, 2023

PAUL RYAN FINALIST IN THE 2023 MOSMAN ART PRIZE

Congratulations to our artist Paul Ryan who is a finalists in this year's Mosman Art Prize for his work 'The King'. Exhibition open 23 September in Mosman, Sydney.

READ MORE HERE

Image:

PAUL RYAN
'The King' 2023
oil on linen
138 x 122 cm

August 1, 2023

PAUL RYAN FEATURED IN THE ABC ART WORKS

On Sunday the 30th of July, PAUL RYAN featured in the ABC Art Works episode focusing on album cover art. Hosted by Namila Benson, this episode of ABC Art Works allows Paul to tell us his story as an Australian painter and about his collaborations with American musician Bill Callahan.

Even though they've never met, Paul Ryan and Bill Callahan share a mutually beneficial friendship. Paul has painted several of Bill's album covers and Bill's music has inspired Paul's paintings.

Paul shows us his process and eclectic studio, personifying his practice and shining light on his emotive connection to the landscape so often seen in his pieces.

You can watch Paul Ryan's feature on the ABC iView website HERE

May 6, 2022

Christopher Zanko and Paul Ryan - Sulman Art Prize Finalists

Congratulations to Christopher Zanko and Paul Ryan who are finalists with a collaborative work in the 2022 Sulman Art Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The Sulman Prize is awarded for the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project by an Australian artist.

Christopher Zanko and Paul Ryan's work is set against the backdrop of Wollongong in NSW. This painting is concerned with the vulnerability of the changing demographics of an area once defined by coal mining, steelmaking and allied industries.

READ MORE HERE

PAUL RYAN + CHRISTOPHER ZANKO
Bulli, Rock Steady 2022
oil and acrylic on wood relief carving
120 x 100 cm

February 18, 2022

PAUL RYAN: Q&A WITH THE ILLAWARRA FLAME

David Roach, co-curator of the Clifton Contemporary Art Fair, talked to one of the high-profile participating artists, Paul Ryan.

Paul Ryan’s striking, often provocative paintings are sort by collectors both in Australia and internationally. Many feature the Northern Illawarra coast and escarpment as seen from the ocean.

READ MORE HERE

February 18, 2022

PAUL RYAN FINALIST IN THE KILGOUR PRIZE

Paul Ryan is a finalist in Newcastle Art Gallery's Kilgour Art Prize 2021.

The Kilgour Prize is Newcastle's annual art prize for figurative and portrait painting. It awards $50,000 for the most outstanding work of art and a People’s Choice of $5000 to the painting voted most popular by the general public. Each year the Gallery receives hundreds of applications from across Australia.

'Three Imaginary Boys' 2021
oil on linen
138 x 153 cm

November 12, 2020

PAUL RYAN ARCHIBALD AND SULMAN FINALIST 2020

N\H artist Paul Ryan is a finalist in Australia's most anticipated art prize, the 2020 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman. The exhibition is on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until January 10th 2021.

Paul Ryan's painting "Three Imaginary Boys" is the artist's sixth finalist selection in the Sulman Prize. He is a 13-time Archibald finalist and five-time Wynne Prize finalist. Paul has won the Paddington Art Prize (2007 & 2010), Geelong Contemporary Art Prize (2012) and has been a finalist numerous times in the Mosman Prize, Moran Prize, Fishers Ghost, Kilgour, Tattersals and other major awards.

'Three Imaginary Boys' 2020
oil on linen
138 x 153 cm

July 16, 2020

PAUL RYAN FINALIST IN THE MOSMAN ART PRIZE 2020


Paul Ryan is a finalist in the Mosman Art Prize.

Established in 1947, the Mosman Art Prize is Australia's oldest and most prestigious local government art award. It was founded by the artist, architect and arts advocate, Alderman Allan Gamble. In it's seventieth year, the Mosman Art Prize has developed in stature to become Australia’s most prestigious municipally funded art prize with a national profile. It regularly attracts over 900 entries annually and currently offers over $60,000 in prizes.

The 2020 Mosman Art Prize was judged by Alexie Glass-Kantor, Executive Director of Artspace, Sydney.

March 15, 2019

PAUL RYAN FINALIST IN THE DOUG MORAN PORTRAIT PRIZE

Founded by Doug & Greta Moran and family in 1988, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize is an annual Australian portrait prize supporting Australian artists. The prize has encouraged both excellence and creativity in contemporary Australian portraiture by asking artists to interpret the look and personality of a chosen sitter, either unknown or well known. With a first prize of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) it is Australia’s richest art prize.

October 23, 2018

PAUL RYAN FINALIST IN THE MOSMAN ART PRIZE 2018

Paul Ryan is a finalist in this year's Mosman Art Prize with her work 'Yeah The Boys' 2018.

Established in 1947, the Mosman Art Prize is Australia's oldest and most prestigious local government art award. It was founded by the artist, architect and arts advocate, Alderman Allan Gamble, at a time when only a small handful of art prizes were in existence in Australia and the community had very little support and few opportunities to exhibit their work.

As an acquisitive art award for painting, the winning artworks collected since 1947 form a splendid collection of modern and contemporary Australian art, reflecting all the developments in Australian art practice since 1947.

READ MORE HERE

May 14, 2018

PAUL RYAN HIGHLY COMMENDED IN THE WYNNE PRIZE 2018

Paul Ryan was awarded Highly Commended in the Winner Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales with his work 'Kembla, Mount Kembla".  Ryan says:

In 1922, DH Lawrence and his wife Frieda came to Thirroul, about an hour south of Sydney, by train. It was here that he wrote the novel Kangaroo, in which he described ‘the town that slid down at the bush-covered foot of the dark tor’. I have lived beneath this dark tor for most of my life. It is omnipresent, it shields us and acts as a gilded cage. In summer, spring and early morning, it captures the sun and glows. But in winter, it stands against the western sky as a dark fortress, blocking our escape and most of the afternoon sun. This a painting of a deep love of place. Paul Ryan, 2018

READ MORE HERE

December 14, 2017

PAUL RYAN ON ABC 'BOOKS AND ARTS' PODCAST

Paul Ryan features in an ABC podcast on Books and Arts. 

In her introduction Sarah Kanowski says:

'Paul Ryan lives and surfs on the south coast of New South Wales, and the beautiful landscape of the Illawarra features in many of his paintings.

He's also an accomplished portraitist (and many time Archibald Prize finalist) and has an abiding interest in depicting figures from colonial Australia.

Paul Ryan listens to music while he paints and has collaborated with American musician Bill Callahan.'

Paul discusses the methodologies of his practice and the prominent themes in his work surrounding colonial Australia. 

Download and listen to the full podcast here.

September 21, 2017

PAUL RYAN: FINALIST IN THE MOSMAN ART PRIZE 2017

Paul Ryan is a finalist in this years Mosman Art Prize.

Established in 1947, the Mosman Art Prize is Australia's oldest and most prestigious local government art award.  It was founded by the artist, architect and arts advocate, Alderman Allan Gamble. In it's seventieth year, the Mosman Art Prize has developed in stature to become Australia’s most prestigious municipally funded art prize with a national profile. It regularly attracts over 900 entries annually and currently offers over $60,000 in prizes.

The prize will be judged by Kristen Paisley, Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Australia.

The Mosman Art Prize exhibition will be open to the public for viewing from Saturday 23 September until Sunday 29 October 2017. Details here.

IMAGE: Cook and Hounds, 2017, oil on canvas

July 8, 2017

PAUL RYAN: FINALIST IN THE KILGOUR ART PRIZE

Paul Ryan is a finalist in Newcastle Art Gallery's Kilgour Art Prize 2017. 

The Kilgour Prize is Newcastle's annual art prize for figurative and portrait painting. It awards $50,000 for the most outstanding work of art and a People’s Choice of $5000 to the painting voted most popular by the general public. Each year the Gallery receives hundreds of applications from across Australia.

The Kilgour Prize will be on display 5 August - 15 October 2017. For further information, please click here.

May 8, 2017

PAUL RYAN FINALIST IN THE SUNSHINE COAST ART PRIZE 2017

The Sunshine Coast Art Prize is a national contemporary acquisitive award presented by Sunshine Coast Council. The Award is open to any artist who is an Australian resident, working in a 2D medium.

Forty finalists have been selected for an exhibition at the Caloundra Regional Gallery and the winning work will be added to the Sunshine Coast Art Collection.

Angela Goddard is the judge for the Sunshine Coast Prize 2017. Angela is the Director of Griffith Artworks, responsible for the Griffith University Art Collection and the Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane. Angela was previously the Curator of Australian Art at the Queensland Art Gallery I Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA). Winners announced 31 August.

Image: Paul Ryan The Sea Was Angry That Day My Fiends 2017 oil on linen 123 x 123cm

Read more Here.

March 22, 2017

PAUL RYAN FEATURED IN BRISBANE NEWS

Arts writer Phil Brown reviews Paul Ryan's exhibition 'Happy Days in the Colony' in the current issue of Brisbane News.  Read the review HERE

December 16, 2016

PAUL RYAN ON FRENCH BLOG 'LA BLOGOTHEQUE'

Influential French blog site La Blogotheque recently featured a profile on Paul Ryan in his Thiroull studio. Paul has been painting American musician Bill Callahan’s album covers for the last five years. He talks about the role music plays in his art in the second episode of the blog's interview series “Music is my radar”:

Read and watch here.

December 14, 2016

PAUL RYAN IN ARTIST PROFILE MAGAZINE

Paul Ryan was recently interviewed by Steve Lopes for Artist Profile magazine:

'Paul Ryan’s gutsy paintings pack a punch that has won him many fans over the years. Ryan is not afraid to experiment with subject matter. A 13-time Archibald finalist, he regularly collaborates with other artists and also musicians, and often chooses to deal with confronting topics. He is happy with the choices he has made in his art career, and the apparent ease of life in his comfortable seaside studio belies the “collateral damage” that painting can bring to a life devoted to art.'

Read the full article HERE.

December 14, 2016

NOW REPRESENTING PAUL RYAN

Edwina Corlette Gallery is delighted to announce the representation of Paul Ryan.

Born in Auckland in 1964, Paul Ryan has had regular solo exhibitions since 1988. Based in Thirroul on the New South Wales coast, Ryan's work looks at the Australian landscape and history, in particular as it relates to the area near where he lives.  

A finalist in the Archibald Prize 13 times, he has also been a finalist in the Wynne Prize three times and the Sulman Prize four times. He won the 2010 Paddington Art Prize for landscape painting and the Geelong Contemporary Art Prize in 2012. 

Paul Ryan's first exhibition at Edwina Corlette Gallery will be in 2017.

A STUDIO GLIMPSE WITH PAUL RYAN
PAUL RYAN IN CONVERSATION WITH RICHARD MORECROFT
PAUL RYAN FEATURED IN THE ABC ART WORKS: SERIES 3, EPISODE 21

3 – 18 December 2024
‘SMALL WORKS’ featuring Ari Athans, John Bokor, James Drinkwater, Bridie Gillman, Dan Kyle, Rhys Lee, Belem Lett, Tara Marynowsky, Tim McMonagle, Peta Minnici, Sally M Nangala Mulda, Natalie O'Loughlin, Bundit Puangthong, Paul Ryan, Vipoo Srivilasa

25 September 2024 – 15 October 2024
Paul Ryan ‘Float’

3 – 24 September 2024
THE SPRING SHOW

19 December 2023 – 30 January 2024
THE SUMMER SHOW

7 – 21 December 2023
SMALL WORKS - Click and Collection

23 February 2022 – 12 March 2022
Paul Ryan ‘Rococo Dreaming’

3 January 2022 – 1 February 2022
THE SUMMER SALON

23 November 2021 – 15 December 2021
THE ART OF CHRISTMAS | ONLINE ONLY

8 – 27 October 2020
Paul Ryan ‘The Botanist’

26 June 2019 – 17 July 2019
THE NEW GALLERY SHOW — A Group Exhibition

2 – 25 April 2019
PAUL RYAN 'Cyan Summer'

29 August 2018 – 15 September 2018
THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

22 February 2018 – 15 March 2018
Paul Ryan ‘The Colonies, South by Southeast’

17 March 2017 – 6 April 2017
Paul Ryan ‘Happy Days in the Colony’