Nick Herd - In Love but Lazy

Following Nick Herd’s sell out presentation at the 2024 Aotearoa Art Fair, Foenander Galleries is proud to his debut exhibition at the gallery. Known for his thick application of paint, Herd has carved out a recognisable style which is distinctly his own.

Herd’s exhibition ‘In Love But Lazy’ features a new series of impasto still-life paintings, alongside larger figurative works. The exhibition’s title is a humorous and enigmatic aphorism, with no specific meaning. It’s intention – much like Herd’s painting practice – is the mood it carries, fostering an atmosphere of both ambiguity and articulation, that is open to interpretation.

Painting from life, Herd aims to capture the ontology and complexity of his subjects, rather than just external form. Each work is sumptuous and saturated with energetic brushwork, pushing forward information that addresses the essence of his subject. Herd is a natural draftsman and his understanding of line, coupled with his gestural application of paint, explores the performative nature of painting.

Herd still life works begin with fresh floral arrangements, observed and painted over a series of days; meaning that each time he sits to paint – the arrangement has bloomed, decayed or moved. This transformation of arrangement, results in paintings full of play and movement which capture the subject more dynamically. Energetic brushstrokes relay something of their physical discharge, preserving a subtle interplay of emotion, vulnerability and empathy. In this respect, Herd’s subjects become vessels for contemplation and his process lead approach – a method of discovery.

Through his playful combination of colour, texture, structure and movement, Herd’s paintings are raw and honest investigations, that are perhaps more about the feeling they conjure than the image depicted. In Love But Lazy is a series of highly charged and personal works, that on the one had capture something straightforward and trivial, and on the other hand something profound, unspoken and visceral.