Kathryn Ryan's practice is captivated by the state of the ‘in between’. Thriving by exploring co-existing opposites. Never taking form from what can be conceived as truly​ tangible; navigating what to reveal and conceal. Her subject becomes the husk, the silhouette, the ghost of a suggested entity. It's for this reason her paintings become an allegory of painting itself. Having spent a number of years living in the UAE, Ryan has returned to her South-West Victorian farm roots- the landscape of her youth. Her very deep intimacy with place determines the viewer’s status to that of voyeur, peering into a personal realm of tense quietness, calm yet agitated stillness. Her landscapes invite us to utilize descriptive terminology that is emotively humanized, geared to help us comprehend. Juxtapositions of strength and fragility, the familiar and the strange allow for a more sustained and intimate connection to the landscape that echos her treatment of shadow and light- which is simultaneously bold and subtle, precise and ambiguous.