Ria Byass

I am a still life painter, inspired by the rich and diverse landscape where I live on the coast of Kangaroo Island. For the past 26 years my focus has been on secondary art teaching, however I have made the decision to now concentrate on my painting as a full time occupation. It has been my habit to always document my days and travels through sketching and painting as a way of recording the places I visit and where I live.

My painting subject matter is predominately focused on the ‘still life’ genre.

I love the fall of light on objects. Compositions include collections from the surrounding landscape – botanical specimens, native flowers, shells and emphemeral beach ‘flotsam and jetsam’.

As an emerging professional painter my first major group exhibition as a selected participant is in the exhibition Island to Inland : Contemporary Art from Kangaroo Island 1st July – 3rd September 2017. A Country Arts SA and Flinders University Art Museum Touring Show. It is touring regionally to 13 locations until July 2019.

I hold a Diploma of Teaching Fine Arts Underdale Campus 1979 and taught secondary Art for 26 years.

Using oil paint, I build layers of colour and texture to create a three dimensional quality and an ‘impression’ rather than a true representation of my surrounds. I experiment with composition, light & color to create richly patterned and textured paintings.