Vicky Lord

Where blue meets green is a collection of paintings by Taranaki artist Vicky Lord, that explores arrival and departure points in an abstract way. Each of us has a story to tell. A whakapapa that connects us to a place in this world, as well as to our ancestors. And travels and journeys that take us across lands and oceans in search of new and different.

From one coastline to another, from one island to another, we witness the difference in how we live on and from the land. There is always an important and innate connection between land and inhabitants. Landscapes are to be admired for more than the beauty or drama of their skies, botanics and geographic formations. Landscapes directly reflect our stories.

Vicky Lord

Where blue meets green is a collection of paintings by Taranaki artist Vicky Lord, that explores arrival and departure points in an abstract way. Each of us has a story to tell. A whakapapa that connects us to a place in this world, as well as to our ancestors. And travels and journeys that take us across lands and oceans in search of new and different.

From one coastline to another, from one island to another, we witness the difference in how we live on and from the land. There is always an important and innate connection between land and inhabitants. Landscapes are to be admired for more than the beauty or drama of their skies, botanics and geographic formations. Landscapes directly reflect our stories.

Lines, forms, mark making and shadow play within these works do not tell the story of one place or person. Whilst the artist has taken inspiration from the journeys of her own ancestors (some well documented, other parts obscured), and her own travels, these paintings are an exploration of the connection between topography and heritage in a general sense. The maps we use as guides. Trade winds and ocean currents. The soil we grow food in. Waterways in which we swim. The coastlines, forests and mountains we walk. And suburban plots with grass verges kept neatly mown. As our stories are told our identities are anchored to the land.

The almost musical use of colour and composition of layers is characteristic of Vicky’s work. The organic forms and shapes are compilations that reflect linked moments and thoughts. Not dissimilar to a child’s shell collection, or a botanist’s folio of specimens. The intersection of layers and use of positive and negative space talks to control versus letting go. Regardless of our attempts to contour the land to fit our reasonings, ultimately it is us who are shaped by the land.