Life

Clements' early childhood years were spent in Tanybryn in the Otway Ranges, near Apollo Bay. The landscape of the area made a lasting impression on him which is evident in his work. The family moved to Colac

Colac, Victoria

Colac is a small city located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, situated approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 km inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and...

, and then—by the time Clements was 12—to Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. As a teenager he discovered a love for classical music, and started playing the piano. He left school after Year 9, and worked at a variety of jobs including apprenticeships to a butcher and a piano tuner.

In 1969 he traveled widely. He loved the landscapes and people of Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

. In 1972 in Timor

Timor

Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...

 he met Larissa Usenko, whom he would later marry. Returning to Melbourne in 1973 he began drawing. In his backpack at the time was a small book of prints by Aubrey Beardsley

Aubrey Beardsley

Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His drawings, done in black ink and influenced by the style of Japanese woodcuts, emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement which also included Oscar Wilde and James A....

 which he particularly admired. Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...

 was also a favourite at this time, and inspired many watercolour nature studies.

The landscape of southern Australia was always a source of inspiration for him. In the 1970s he spent much time over a couple of years in a small hut in Marysville

Marysville, Victoria

Marysville is a small town, 34 kilometres north-east of Healesville, in the Shire of Murrindindi in Victoria, Australia. The town, which previously had a population of around 500 people, was devastated by the Murrindindi Mill bushfire on 7 February 2009. On 19 February 2009 the official death toll...

, and made several trips to the rugged Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain is a mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty...

 region of Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

. Much later, in 1994, after separating from Larissa, he bought a small house in Beech Forest in the Otways. He died in 1999 in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

.

Sources

• Der Maler Richard Clements (1951–1999) by Jane Clark in Die Christengemeinschaft - Ausgabe: Juli / August 2004
• Richard Clements: Seeing the Sublime, Hamilton Art Gallery, 2004.