BIO
Martha Lord is a Melbourne based artist and designer who has been exhibiting over the past two decades. Her work is a play between abstraction and realism, where connections with mythology emerge. It allows for a dream, a reality or a paradoxical combination of both.
“My work sits somewhere between reality and the idea. Between the complex and simple. Between history and modernity. Our mark making can represent the deepest levels of the human psyche. It is not only an expression of something that is very personal and intimate but an intellectual and emotional exploration.”
ARTIST STATEMENT
I have Greek heritage and stories of Greek mythology that my father relayed to me play a big part in this series of work. Eastern philosophies and culture have also influenced my work as I have practiced martial arts for many years too.
I create these figures (gods, goddesses or women of power) partly from my subconscious. I work instinctively and build imagery from images that I have photographed from magazines. For instance, I will use the eyes from one image, a mouth from another, the body from another etc…. I know intuitively of what pose I want to use or look I want to achieve. This is all done with Photography and Photoshop and it takes many hours of digital drawing and editing. Once I am satisfied, the image is then printed on archival paper and then I collage it either onto board or canvas. Finally I paint over the image adding texture and colour using different mediums.
These figures are my interpretation of how I would imagine deities to be if they existed in today’s time. Whilst celebrating the feminine these works are a portrayal of their strength, their sexuality, their power.
