Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC) invites visitors to discover the works of  local artist Clive Ryder as he presents his first solo exhibition of large-scale acrylic landscape paintings.

As a local to Bellevue for 36 years, Clive ‘George’ Ryder raised seven children and nine foster children with his wife Anne, also born in Midland.

Ryder is a Noongar Yued Ballardong descendant of the Stolen Generation through his father Cliff Ryder, a renowned artist in his own right.

A self-taught painter with a practice spanning more than 17 years, Ryder began painting to offer respite and overcome the boredom from work in mining and farming across Western Australia from Marble Bar to Port Headland, Telfer to Newman.

Selecting a minimal palate of five colours with a simple studio setup impromptu in whatever donga he found himself in, he would “move the bed and tape the canvas to the wall”, painting for several hours each night.

His “no waste” mentality sees him painting prolifically so as not to waste the paint before it dries, sometimes working on up to four or five paintings at a time.

In 2019, the Berndt Museum of Anthropology at Lawrence Wilson Gallery of UWA presented the work of his father Cliff Ryder in the group exhibition Carrolup Revisited: A Journey through the South West of Western Australia.

The exhibition highlighted the importance of artistic expression for Children at Carrolup Native Settlement, as well as other artists from the South West, not only as records of Noongar customs and life, but as significant contributions to Aboriginal art.

Painting from memory and intuition, Ryder continues the legacy of his father’s artistic expression, capturing the quintessential hues and forms of Western Australia and finding a connection to Country through colour and creative practice.

His work, along with his fathers, is an important acknowledgement of the Noongar community and a reminder of their artistic and cultural heritage.

“I believe that the artistic skills in our family are hereditary. They come from my dear beloved dad, Cliff Ryder. I think our children and grandchildren are very lucky to have been gifted with this artistic talent and with the spiritual and cultural connections they possess.” – Charon Ryder

Clive Ryder’s work will be on display in Studio 1 at Midland Junction Arts Centre until December 21.

For more information visit the MJAC website.