Studio Tulips

Oil on Canvas

Courtesy of Föenander galleries.

Nick Herd, born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau and has a Bachelor in Art and Design from AUT. Painting has always been a part of Nick’s life – gradually taking over – as his practice explores what it means to be human.  Herd’s current practice depicts abstracted human subjects and floral arrangements, both representing a captivating study of existence. His energetic brushstrokes preserve a subtle interplay of emotion, vulnerability, and a resilience that define living species.

Nick’s work is characterised by expressionistic mark making and unrefined – sometimes grotesque – figurative depiction which navigate the tensions between embodiment and liminality.

Known for his thick application of paint, referred to technically as impasto, Herd has carved out a recognisable style distinctly his own. With a sophisticated palette and incredible artistic restraint – especially when using excessive amounts of oil paint, the artist captures movement and life in every textured stroke.  His thick gestural application of paint explores the performative nature of painting and the physical discharge of energy and anxiety, where the subject becomes a vessel for contemplating the human experience.

Herd’s recent series of still life oil paintings, are offered to us both in paint and sculpted form. With radically layered textures, and bold defining strokes; the flowers appear as if they are moving across the canvas. The artistic process for Herd, originates with fresh floral arrangements which he paints over a series of days; meaning that each time he sits to paint the arrangement has bloomed, decayed or moved. This transformation of subject, results in a series of paintings full of play and motion with oil paint laid on so thickly that the texture of the palette knife is clearly visible.