Alan was born in 1953 in Margaret River, Western Australia. As a small child he developed an ongoing love of drawing. When he was eight years old his family moved from Bunbury to the inland Wheatbelt town of Merredin, where at age 12 he finally persuaded his parents to buy him a small set of oil paints. He then began learning to paint by trying to copy Masters from books, along with instruction and encouragement from his School Teachers and local adult Artists.
In 1970 he achieved equal top mark in Western Australia for Art in the Leaving Certificate and was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship for tertiary studies. He was offered a place in Fine Art but due to parental insistence, in 1971 began an Associateship in Design course at the Western Australian Institute of Technology, now Curtin University. He began full time work in late 1973 as a Designer for the Western Australian Museum.
In 1977 he exhibited paintings for the first time in the Seven Young Western Australian Artists at the Undercroft Gallery, University of Western Australia. His first solo exhibition of paintings was in 1980 at Fremantle Arts Centre. Three solo exhibitions followed at Gallery 52, Claremont. These included two portraits that were finalists in the Archibald Prize.
In 1984 he was offered a Senior Designer position with the History Trust of South Australia and moved to Adelaide to design a new Migration Museum - the first of it's kind in Australia. Alan held two solo exhibitions at Anima Gallery in North Adelaide.
In 1987 he moved to Sydney to take up a Senior Designer position at the new National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour. Alan lived in Redfern and exhibited regularly in alternative art spaces in Redfern, Newtown and Surry Hills.
In 1997 Alan returned to Perth to focus on his art career. Since 2000 he has lived in the northern coastal suburbs of Perth, where he has home studios for painting and drawing.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 - River Swan - new paintings, Linton and Kay West Perth Gallery, September 4 - 26
2022 - River Aerial and Terrestrial - Paintings and Drawings of Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River, Linton and Kay Subiaco Gallery, April 1 - 25
2020 - River: Drawings of Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River Linton and Kay Mandoon Estate Gallery, Swan Valley Oct 31-Nov 22, '20
2020 - Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River: Paintings 2010-20 and New River Drawings. Linton and Kay Gallery Subiaco April/May '20
2019 - Tides: Paintings of Derbarl Yerrigan - Swan River, Council House, City of Perth, St Georges Terrace Perth. Sponsored and presented by the City of Perth for the National Trust Heritage Festival 2019 19 April to 22 June 2019
2019 - Tides: Paintings and Drawings of Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River, Linton and Kay Mandoon Estate Gallery, Swan Valley. 4 May to 27 May 2019
2017 - Perth 360: A Survey of Paintings 1997-2017. Main Gallery, Wanneroo Cultural Centre. 16 September to 18 October 2017
2015 - River Drawings - Nyisztor Studio, Melville. WA. 6th - 20th September 2015
2014 - Derbarl Yerrigan, Djarlgarro Beelier - Swan and Canning Rivers, Melody Smith Gallery, Carlisle
2012 - Derbarl Yerrigan - The Swan River, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2010 - Soulburbia, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2008 - Perth Night Stories, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2006 - Perth Night Paintings, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2005 - Metro Coast SMS - paintings of Perth's Coast, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2003 - Illumine – works painted on location at Gracetown, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2001 - Urban Elemental - new paintings of Perth – Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
1996 - Beauty and the Bridge – Paintings of Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island, South Australia, Gallery Café, Surry Hills, NSW
1994 - Bare Gallery, Newtown, NSW
1993 - Portraits 2, Artrage Festival, PICA, Perth Cultural Centre, WA.
1993 - Portraits 1, Bare Gallery, Newtown, NSW
1993 - Drawings – Airspace, Redfern, NSW.
1990 - Paintings – Gallery Café, Surry Hills, NSW
1985 - Anima Gallery, North Adelaide, SA.
1987 - Anima Gallery, North Adelaide, SA.
1984 - Gallery 52, Claremont, WA
1983 - Gallery 52, Claremont, WA
1981 - Gallery 52, Claremont, WA
1980 - Fremantle Arts Centre, WA.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 - Spacing Out, Art Gallery of Western Australia, 27th May - 17th September
2021 - The View From Here, Art Gallery of Western Australia
2020 - Tracing The Swan, Holmes A Court Gallery Vasse Felix, Margaret River, 28 September 2020 to 7th February 2021
2020 - Queer: Now and Then, Lawrence Wilson Gallery, University of Western Australia
2020 - Western Australian Museum, Whadjuk Boodja video projection, use of four images of paintings in permanent exhibit
2019 - Shire of Mundaring Open Art Acquisition Exhibition, ‘Place and Space’ Mundaring Arts Centre
2018 - Royal Agricultural Society Art Award for Landscape - finalist
2018 - Minnawarra Art Awards, Armadale - finalist
2016 - Shire of Mundaring Open Art Acquisition Exhibition, Mundaring Arts Centre
2016 - Minnawarra Art Award, Armadale District Hall, Armadale
2015/16 - Scene, Nyisztor Studio, Melville
2014 - Black Swan Heritage Art Award, Finalist, Brookfield Tower, Perth
2014/15/16 - Busselton Art Award, Finalist, Art Geo, Busselton
2014 - Albany Art Prize, Finalist, Albany Town Hall, Albany
2013 - Albany Art Prize - Finalist - Albany Town Hall, Albany
2013 - Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Biennial Art Award
2013 - Black Swan Heritage Art Award 2013 Finalist - Linton Kay Gallery, Brookfield Place, Perth.
2013 - Bunbury Biennale - Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, Bunbury
2012 - A Child is Born Exhibition, Wesley Church, Perth
2012 - Black Swan Heritage Art Award 2012 Finalist - Linton Kay Gallery, Brookfield Place, Perth
2012 - Mandorla Art Award 2012 - Perth Town Hall, City of Perth
2012 - Aurum - Mundaring Arts Centre
2012 - 'Safe Keeping', National Trust Heritage Festival of WA, Perth Town Hall
2010 - Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Biennial Art Award
2009 - Bunbury Biennale, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, WA
2008 - Stations of the Cross Exhibition - Wesley Church, Perth
2001 - 09 - City of Joondalup Invitation Art Award, Joondalup, WA
2007 - Bunbury Biennale, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, WA
2002 - Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne, VIC
2001 - 02 - City of Perth Invitation Art Award, Perth, WA
1986 - Adelaide Festival Exhibition, Anima Gallery, North Adelaide, SA
1983 - Archibald Prize Finalist, New South Wales Art Gallery, NSW
1982 - Archibald Prize Finalist, New South Wales Art Gallery, NSW
1978 - 79 - Perth Portrait Prize
1977 - Seven Young Western Australian Artists - Undercroft Gallery, UWA
Awards
2020 - Western Australian Heritage Awards Commendation Award for Tides: Swan River Stories, Council House Perth.
2015 - Busselton Art Awards, Commendation Award.
2015 - Wanneroo Art Awards, Commendation Award, Painting
2014 - Wanneroo Art Awards, Commendation Award, Works on Paper
2013 - Royal Agricultural Society Art Awards - Category 2 Highly Commended
2012 - Wanneroo Art Awards - Winner
2012 - Joondalup Community Art Awards - Category Painting
2011 - Royal Agricultural Society Art Awards - Public Choice Award
2011 - Minnawarra Art Awards, City of Armadale - Category 2, Highly Commended
2007 - City of Albany WA - Category 2 Best Oil/Acrylic
2005 - City of Joondalup Invitation Art Award WA - People’s Choice Award
2004 - Town of Vincent WA - Category 3 Vincent Award
2004 - City of Stirling WA - Category 2 Award
1983 - Fremantle Arts Centre, WA - Winner Open Painting Award
1979 - Perth Portrait Prize, WA - Category 2 Award Best Western Australian Entry
Collections
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Artbank (national), Armadale Redevelopment Authority Collection, Lawrence Wilson Gallery – UWA; Edith Cowan University, Central TAFE Collection, Royal Perth Hospital Collection, City of Perth, City of Stirling, City of Fremantle, City of Wanneroo, Shire of Mundaring, Army Museum of Western Australia, Private Collections, Perth Children's Hospital, St. John of God Collection.
Commissions
2015 - City of Wanneroo, ANZAC Commission, Australian Resilience
1986 - Adelaide Festival of Arts Poster for the Adelaide Festival Centre
In 1970 he achieved equal top mark in Western Australia for Art in the Leaving Certificate and was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship for tertiary studies. He was offered a place in Fine Art but due to parental insistence, in 1971 began an Associateship in Design course at the Western Australian Institute of Technology, now Curtin University. He began full time work in late 1973 as a Designer for the Western Australian Museum.
In 1977 he exhibited paintings for the first time in the Seven Young Western Australian Artists at the Undercroft Gallery, University of Western Australia. His first solo exhibition of paintings was in 1980 at Fremantle Arts Centre. Three solo exhibitions followed at Gallery 52, Claremont. These included two portraits that were finalists in the Archibald Prize.
In 1984 he was offered a Senior Designer position with the History Trust of South Australia and moved to Adelaide to design a new Migration Museum - the first of it's kind in Australia. Alan held two solo exhibitions at Anima Gallery in North Adelaide.
In 1987 he moved to Sydney to take up a Senior Designer position at the new National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour. Alan lived in Redfern and exhibited regularly in alternative art spaces in Redfern, Newtown and Surry Hills.
In 1997 Alan returned to Perth to focus on his art career. Since 2000 he has lived in the northern coastal suburbs of Perth, where he has home studios for painting and drawing.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 - River Swan - new paintings, Linton and Kay West Perth Gallery, September 4 - 26
2022 - River Aerial and Terrestrial - Paintings and Drawings of Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River, Linton and Kay Subiaco Gallery, April 1 - 25
2020 - River: Drawings of Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River Linton and Kay Mandoon Estate Gallery, Swan Valley Oct 31-Nov 22, '20
2020 - Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River: Paintings 2010-20 and New River Drawings. Linton and Kay Gallery Subiaco April/May '20
2019 - Tides: Paintings of Derbarl Yerrigan - Swan River, Council House, City of Perth, St Georges Terrace Perth. Sponsored and presented by the City of Perth for the National Trust Heritage Festival 2019 19 April to 22 June 2019
2019 - Tides: Paintings and Drawings of Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River, Linton and Kay Mandoon Estate Gallery, Swan Valley. 4 May to 27 May 2019
2017 - Perth 360: A Survey of Paintings 1997-2017. Main Gallery, Wanneroo Cultural Centre. 16 September to 18 October 2017
2015 - River Drawings - Nyisztor Studio, Melville. WA. 6th - 20th September 2015
2014 - Derbarl Yerrigan, Djarlgarro Beelier - Swan and Canning Rivers, Melody Smith Gallery, Carlisle
2012 - Derbarl Yerrigan - The Swan River, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2010 - Soulburbia, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2008 - Perth Night Stories, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2006 - Perth Night Paintings, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2005 - Metro Coast SMS - paintings of Perth's Coast, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2003 - Illumine – works painted on location at Gracetown, Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
2001 - Urban Elemental - new paintings of Perth – Gallery East, North Fremantle, WA
1996 - Beauty and the Bridge – Paintings of Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island, South Australia, Gallery Café, Surry Hills, NSW
1994 - Bare Gallery, Newtown, NSW
1993 - Portraits 2, Artrage Festival, PICA, Perth Cultural Centre, WA.
1993 - Portraits 1, Bare Gallery, Newtown, NSW
1993 - Drawings – Airspace, Redfern, NSW.
1990 - Paintings – Gallery Café, Surry Hills, NSW
1985 - Anima Gallery, North Adelaide, SA.
1987 - Anima Gallery, North Adelaide, SA.
1984 - Gallery 52, Claremont, WA
1983 - Gallery 52, Claremont, WA
1981 - Gallery 52, Claremont, WA
1980 - Fremantle Arts Centre, WA.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 - Spacing Out, Art Gallery of Western Australia, 27th May - 17th September
2021 - The View From Here, Art Gallery of Western Australia
2020 - Tracing The Swan, Holmes A Court Gallery Vasse Felix, Margaret River, 28 September 2020 to 7th February 2021
2020 - Queer: Now and Then, Lawrence Wilson Gallery, University of Western Australia
2020 - Western Australian Museum, Whadjuk Boodja video projection, use of four images of paintings in permanent exhibit
2019 - Shire of Mundaring Open Art Acquisition Exhibition, ‘Place and Space’ Mundaring Arts Centre
2018 - Royal Agricultural Society Art Award for Landscape - finalist
2018 - Minnawarra Art Awards, Armadale - finalist
2016 - Shire of Mundaring Open Art Acquisition Exhibition, Mundaring Arts Centre
2016 - Minnawarra Art Award, Armadale District Hall, Armadale
2015/16 - Scene, Nyisztor Studio, Melville
2014 - Black Swan Heritage Art Award, Finalist, Brookfield Tower, Perth
2014/15/16 - Busselton Art Award, Finalist, Art Geo, Busselton
2014 - Albany Art Prize, Finalist, Albany Town Hall, Albany
2013 - Albany Art Prize - Finalist - Albany Town Hall, Albany
2013 - Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Biennial Art Award
2013 - Black Swan Heritage Art Award 2013 Finalist - Linton Kay Gallery, Brookfield Place, Perth.
2013 - Bunbury Biennale - Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, Bunbury
2012 - A Child is Born Exhibition, Wesley Church, Perth
2012 - Black Swan Heritage Art Award 2012 Finalist - Linton Kay Gallery, Brookfield Place, Perth
2012 - Mandorla Art Award 2012 - Perth Town Hall, City of Perth
2012 - Aurum - Mundaring Arts Centre
2012 - 'Safe Keeping', National Trust Heritage Festival of WA, Perth Town Hall
2010 - Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Biennial Art Award
2009 - Bunbury Biennale, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, WA
2008 - Stations of the Cross Exhibition - Wesley Church, Perth
2001 - 09 - City of Joondalup Invitation Art Award, Joondalup, WA
2007 - Bunbury Biennale, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, WA
2002 - Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne, VIC
2001 - 02 - City of Perth Invitation Art Award, Perth, WA
1986 - Adelaide Festival Exhibition, Anima Gallery, North Adelaide, SA
1983 - Archibald Prize Finalist, New South Wales Art Gallery, NSW
1982 - Archibald Prize Finalist, New South Wales Art Gallery, NSW
1978 - 79 - Perth Portrait Prize
1977 - Seven Young Western Australian Artists - Undercroft Gallery, UWA
Awards
2020 - Western Australian Heritage Awards Commendation Award for Tides: Swan River Stories, Council House Perth.
2015 - Busselton Art Awards, Commendation Award.
2015 - Wanneroo Art Awards, Commendation Award, Painting
2014 - Wanneroo Art Awards, Commendation Award, Works on Paper
2013 - Royal Agricultural Society Art Awards - Category 2 Highly Commended
2012 - Wanneroo Art Awards - Winner
2012 - Joondalup Community Art Awards - Category Painting
2011 - Royal Agricultural Society Art Awards - Public Choice Award
2011 - Minnawarra Art Awards, City of Armadale - Category 2, Highly Commended
2007 - City of Albany WA - Category 2 Best Oil/Acrylic
2005 - City of Joondalup Invitation Art Award WA - People’s Choice Award
2004 - Town of Vincent WA - Category 3 Vincent Award
2004 - City of Stirling WA - Category 2 Award
1983 - Fremantle Arts Centre, WA - Winner Open Painting Award
1979 - Perth Portrait Prize, WA - Category 2 Award Best Western Australian Entry
Collections
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Artbank (national), Armadale Redevelopment Authority Collection, Lawrence Wilson Gallery – UWA; Edith Cowan University, Central TAFE Collection, Royal Perth Hospital Collection, City of Perth, City of Stirling, City of Fremantle, City of Wanneroo, Shire of Mundaring, Army Museum of Western Australia, Private Collections, Perth Children's Hospital, St. John of God Collection.
Commissions
2015 - City of Wanneroo, ANZAC Commission, Australian Resilience
1986 - Adelaide Festival of Arts Poster for the Adelaide Festival Centre