Susan Ryman
imperfect silences
13 September – 5 October 2025
OPENING/MEET THE ARTIST Saturday 13 September, 11am – 5pm ALL WELCOME
MEET THE ARTIST Saturday 20 September, 11am – 2pm and ARTIST TALK at 1pm
This selection of work is a silent and vaguely mysterious wander into some of the magnificent frailties and exquisite flaws that life presents.
The Japanese concept of wabi – sabi encourages the appreciation of imperfection and impermanence. Beauty which is subject to the passage of time should be accepted and appreciated.
The nuances of imperfection open a veil to consider our own ephemeral passing through time and space.
‘Imperfection is better than perfection’ Isamu Noguchi :1987 Installation of ‘Water Stone’, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Q & A
How did you choose your subject matter?
The largest coastal salt-water lake in the traditional country of the Awabakal people is where I’ve lived and worked for years. The open expanses are perpetually subject to the whims of wind and water, from deceptively calm one moment to overwhelming instances of terrifying force. Movement, light and matter change and succumb incredibly rapidly to the full cycle of life.
My workroom, which waxes and wanes through the house, holds a trove of specimens in jars, boxes of collected objects and extensive referenced photographs and sketchbooks that span many years. These come from different times and places, evoking memories of personal experiences, and include banal domestic objects and discarded ephemera.
An awkward eye for the unlikely and an interest in the changing history of human endeavour, all feed this intensely personal visual form into a merry dance, which mirrors our world, for better or worse.
What techniques do you use?
My tools are simple coloured pencils. Their application is complex and developed intuitively over many years. The process is mesmerising, as the application of any dried pigment requires layering and mixing of colours directly onto the surface of the work, rather than using a palette.
Works are produced on 300gsm rag papers and sealed with multiple layers of varnish. This stabilises the surface, prevents foxing and prolongs the life of the work. It also lures the viewer into the immediacy of the image itself.
Who are your influences?
Ancient petroglyphs and cave painting, religious structures and their wall decorations, Odd Nerdrum, Rene Magritte, Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Durer, Rosemary Laing, the makers of Italian mosaics and frescoes and early medieval frescoes and manuscripts to name a very few.
Wherever art is a living moment, still breathing and asking us questions as we exchange glances then intense engagements.
Artist Biography
Susan Ryman was trained in the late 1970’s in Sydney at the National Art School, and continued at the University of Newcastle, until she was awarded a PhD in Natural History Illustration in 2015.
Since 1989 she has exhibited multiple times in Maitland, Manning and Mac Yapang Regional Galleries, and the University Gallery, Newcastle.
Independent gallery solo shows at Von Bertouch Galleries, Art Systems Wickham, Newcastle Art Space, Gallery 139 and now Straitjacket are testament to the defiantly distinct place that regional art continues to have in the Hunter.
This is her second solo at Straitjacket.
From the Director, Ahn Wells (August 2025)
“Susan trained in the late 1970’s at the National Art School, Sydney. She then went onto work in arts administration and lecturing in Natural History Illustration. I met her during the 2000’s while I was a student and when I worked as a Gallery Assistant at Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, now known as MACyapang. I watched her transition from her gallery role into a student and into a full-time artist. She gained a PhD in Natural History Illustration in 2015 from the University of Newcastle.
I’ve always admired Susan dedication to her art practice and her determination not to be swayed by trend or even the prestige of paint. I’ve always seen her acknowledge the humbleness of The Coloured Pencil and observed her as she took it to the ultimate level that she has.
Susan makes exquisite drawings, there can be no denying this, it’s a fact. Her ability to render insects, plants, animals, flowers etc in coloured pencil is unparalleled. Her works might be 2D but when you look at them you are forced into a 3D world that celebrates the magnificent fragilities and elusive flaws that life presents. I encourage you to get-up close to Susan’s work and pretend you are the artist working away at a desk. Here you will experience the delicacies of colour variation and the formation of tones, highlights and shadows. Step back and you will be met with the complexities of her imagery. Nothing is left to chance, every space on Susan’s paper canvas is carefully considered and rendered in colour.
Susan’s subject matter is well-known to her. It’s been her stomping ground for a life-time. It’s Awabakal land. It’s her home. It’s her studio. It’s her husband. It’s you and it’s me. Her work is universal, that’s why we are in awe of it. We understand it even if we don’t fully comprehend how.
Life, the living with all it’s awkwardness, ugliness, loveliness and warmth is laid bare in this exhibition. We are asked not only to accept this viewpoint but to also be hypnotised into believing in its beauty and importance as Susan does. As we explore the nuances of her drawings we are left with an overwhelming sense to contemplate our own existence in the world. Life is scary and no-one really knows why we are here and what we are supposed to do. Somehow, Susan’s drawings make these questions comforting, we are not alone in these thoughts, Susan has already drawn them.”