Artist Statement
Artist Samantha Lord moved to Country Victoria near Melbourne in 2016
Born in Perth, Western Australia
Raised in Melbourne, Victoria
Spent 13 years in Sydney, New South Wales
Returned to Melbourne CBD in 2007 and lived in Bank Place until 2017
Moved to country Victoria due to family tragedy and has been rebuilding.
Samantha studied Fine Art and Graphic Design at Swinburne College from 1985-1989 and from there she moved to Graphic Design at Latrobe University 1990-1992. Halfway through the course she realised that Graphic Design was becoming more computerised, and that the talent she had for creating and drawing – which was what she enjoyed – was going to become a thing of the past.
Struggling to decide her direction, Samantha was always drawing and painting. From her family’s perspective, painting and art was a hobby not a job – so Samantha fell into sales. In 1993, with the encouragement of the organisation she was working for, Samantha started painting again part time and seeing it as a possible way to make a living. She left the company in 1995 and began painting full time for the first time. To her surprise, she was invited to join a group exhibition at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary of Art. She saw this as the gauge as to whether her natural talent was good enough, as she’s predominately self-taught. It was a good gauge; Samantha sold all paintings on offer!
In 1996 Samantha was commissioned to paint the ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ series of posters for Chamton. She was commissioned to use her Pop Art (Naive Art) style and captured the celebration of Melbourne’s first Formula 1 Grand Prix. After that success she was then commissioned to do a follow-up poster of Sport in Melbourne. These sold well throughout Victoria.
Embracing an artist’s life, Samantha started to study everything she could get her hands on. She kept away from artists and avoided analysing their works, as she wanted to make sure that her work was unique and different. The Art supply shops became her haven. The staff would teach her about different stock and what it could do. Samantha would go home and practice and practice. In 2001 Samantha moved to Sydney for the second time from Melbourne and her collections and styles grew. With confidence she started showing her works in solo and group exhibitions in Melbourne and Sydney. She was excited and enthusiastic at her success with offers of commissions and exhibitions from around Australia and now overseas!
In late 2007, Samantha returned to Melbourne with the dream of opening a gallery that would welcome all Australians into the arts in a different manner. Raised in Melbourne, Samantha felt this was the best place to build her dream while continuing to work full time as an artist a she found investors to help start the project. She designed and project managed a purpose built gallery, bar, restaurant – Lord Ivy was born in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD in 2007. The gallery was a growing success; she started working with emerging Australian artists helping them too to exhibit their works. With a now enthusiastic team of different artists she started poetry dinner evenings using unknown poets having their poems performed by emerging actors. She was bring art to corporate audiences, the general public and to tourists, creating energy that brought the arts and made it accessible and welcoming for everyone. Two years on she found she wasn’t painting as much as she would like and was frustrated with the business side of the gallery and restaurant so regrettably the venue closed in 2010.
In 2008 Samantha met Lyn Gregson who came to Melbourne with her friends and joined in on in one of Samantha’s Painting sessions. Samantha designed a fun, easy learning and great social activity. Loving it so much, Lyn invited Samantha to join her in the Whitsundays to run an event there. From the Whitsundays, Artrovert was born. Artrovert is a corporate and party painting events company holding events in both Melbourne and Whitsundays. Samantha travels around Australia featuring in different types of painting events. Live Painting Events like Weddings, Corporate Functions, Parties it is a great fun feature to any event.
Samantha is a prolific, passionate Australian Artist and her professionalism, infectious persistence and vision have seen her paintings sell throughout Australia and overseas. She is a true artist and has a fight in her for creation that is inspiring. Her ability to capture not just her own, but other people’s lives and ideas though iconic imagery and moments in Samantha’s unique and colourful way, transforms her art into an explosive, exciting experience on canvas. Her pieces take you on a journey in many different directions via a kaleidoscope of thoughts, ideas, colours and techniques.
Her striking collections have been embraced by serious art collectors around the world, which include members of the Belgian aristocracy, many professionals, designers, and corporate and personal commissions.
Samantha is a passionate believer in Australia and in Australian art. She has a strong visual memory and can capture the spirit of a moment with all its emotions. She is constantly working on ideas to show her perceptions and thoughts.
In 2010 INK Artworks was born, approached by the management for the Aspen Group to join them in growing a gallery in their 1 Spring street building, morning star estate and Emu Estate. It was another version of Lord Ivy with new business partners. Unfortunately just like with Lord Ivy, INK started to drain Samantha’s time from her first love, painting and with the GFC hitting Melbourne and no tourists about INK became a drain on Samantha’s time. In late 2011, INK Artworks also closed, Aspen Group has continued the gallery and she is happy to say her business plans have worked and many Australian artists benefited and had great exhibitions in both Lord Ivy and INK Artworks.
In late 2011 Samantha again reorganised she needed to re-invent herself and is now taking on strictly artistic work. She gave all the business ideas a break and just concentrated on Artrovert Live Painting events around Australia and personal commission works. This work gives her public contact that she so enjoys and her first love for painting is being recognised more than ever with many events, private commissions and painting live events.
2012 Samantha went to New York…. selling paintings she was a small success. New York city and the locals were wonderful and she made friends for life.
In 2015 Samantha’s life took a dramatic turn. Her partner of 3 years but friend of 25 had a massive stroke and an age 43 he was told he would never walk again, move on the right hand side, read, write, or speak. It has taken a lot. Samantha has taken over a lot in the last few years but for the first time since that tragic day in July 2015 there is hope. Help has come and Samantha and she is back to work doing what she does best through a hard time…. it just added more spice to her work and is painting better than ever!
Reinventing herself in many ways with new products and ideas to show her art, there is no doubt that Samantha is a talented artist that is here to stay. She is a trusting and good soul who captures and sees so much. She’s lucky! She has her moments good and bad into a weave of the theatre of her life and we benefit from that humour and honesty in every piece she make. There is no filter. No matter how many times she gets knocked, she will get up again.
Today Samantha has moved to country Victoria and is back painting personally and private commissions. She’s always looking for opportunity and new experiences.
“I believe my job, as an artist is not just to capture the visual with my paintings but the emotions and feelings.”
2018, 165 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.
2018, Moonstruck Mountain Gallery, Whitsundays Airlie Beach, QLD
2017, Moonstruck Mountain Gallery, Whitsundays Airlie Beach, QLD
2015, Samantha Lord’s Studio Bank Place Melbourne CBD, VIC.
2015, Curry Vault, Melbourne Bank Place CBD,VIC
2014, Taste of Tuscany, Melbourne CBD, VIC
2014, Curry Vault, Melbourne Bank Place, CBD, VIC
2013, Taste of Tuscany, Melbourne CBD, VIC
2013, Curry Vault, Melbourne Bank Place, VIC
2012, Moonstruck Mountain Gallery, Whitsundays Airlie Beach, QLD
2012, Curry Vault, Melbourne Bank Place, VIC
2012, Taste of Tuscany, Melbourne CBD, VIC
2011, Moonstruck Mountain Gallery, Whitsundays Airlie Beach, QLD
2011, Club Melbourne, World Trade Centre, Melbourne, VIC
2011, Curry Vault, Melbourne Bank Place, VIC
2011, INK Artworks, Melbourne Flinders Lane, VIC
2011, Global Gallery, Sydney Paddington, NSW
2011, INK Artworks, Melbourne Flinders Lane, VIC
2011, Morning Star Estate, Mornington, VIC
2010, INK Artworks, Melbourne Flinders Lane, VIC
2010, Aspen Group, Melbourne CBD, VIC
2010, Roeszler Lane, Melbourne CBD, VIC
2010, RSVP Events Melbourne Convention & Conference Centre, VIC
2010, AIME Melbourne Convention & Conference Centre, VIC
2010, Airlie Beach, Whitsundays Qld.
2009, Artrovert, Whitsundays Qld.
2009, Bull in a China Shop, Melbourne Vic.
2009, Pop Art Metro, Melbourne Vic
2008, Lord Ivy Galleraunt, Melbourne Vic.
2008, Kathleen Gan Gallery, Singapore
2008, Lord Ivy Art Lounge, Melbourne Vic.
2008, Nostalgia, Trendsetterz International, Singapore
2007, The Ivy Corporate Centre, Melbourne, Vic
2007, Pine Street Gallery, Sydney NSW
2007, Paua Restaurant, Surry Hills, NSW
2006, Pine Street Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2006, RSVP Exhibition, Sydney, NSW
2006, The Ivy, Melbourne, VIC
2006, Fad Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2006, Designex, Sydney, NSW
2005, Pine Street Gallery, Sydney NSW
2005, Buena Vista Cafe, Supreme Law Courts Building Sydney NSW
2004, Pine Street Gallery, Sydney NSW
2004, Netstar – Pine Street Gallery, Sydney NSW
2004, GIG Gallery, Glebe, Sydney NSW
2003, Hyperlink – Gallery TenEleven, Armadale, VIC
2003, Ignite – Gallery TenEleven, Armadale VIC
2003, SFI – Gallery TenEleven, Armadale VIC
2003, Gallery TenEleven, Armadale VIC
2003, Pine Street Gallery, Sydney NSW
2003, Bond Cafe, Martin Place, Sydney
2002, Le Quay’s Cafe, Circular Quay, Sydney NSW
2002, www.contemporary-artworks.com / samanthalord.com.au WebGallery
1997, Family Law Courts Cafe, Melbourne VIC
1997, Armoury Restaurant, Melbourne VIC
Group Exhibitions:
2017, Bacchus Marsh Rotary Art Show
2016, Bacchus Marsh Rotary Art Show
2014, Manyung Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne Vic
2014, Manyung Gallery, Mt Eliza, VIC
2014, Moonstruck Mountain Gallery, Whitsundays Airlie Beach, QLD
2013, The Art Space Chelsea NYC, USA
2013, Raw Studios, NYC, USA
2013, Manyung Gallery, Mt Eliza, VIC
2013, Moonstruck Mountain Gallery, Whitsundays Airlie Beach, QLD
2012, Manyung Gallery, Mt Eliza, VIC
2012, Manyung Gallery, Mt Eliza, VIC
2012, Moonstruck Mountain Gallery, Whitsundays Airlie Beach, QLD
2011, Godfrey Street Community House, VIC
2011, INK Artworks, Melbourne Flinders Lane, VIC
2009, Melbourne’s Arts Festival, VIC
2009, End of Financial Year Auction, Lord Ivy Melbourne VIC
2009, Female Power 09 Art Moment Gallery Sydney NSW
2009, Show us the Love, Melbourne VIC
2008, Lord Ivy Art Lounge, Melbourne VIC
2007, Tap Gallery, Sydney NSW
2006, Tap Gallery, Sydney NSW
2006, Art at the Moment, Bondi Beach, Sydney
2006, Gallery at the Wentworth. The Rocks, Syd. NSW
2006, 3 x Finalist Sydney Royal Easter Show NSW
2006, Manyung Gallery, Mt Eliza, VIC
2006, Gallery at the Wentworth, CBD, Sydney NSW
2005, Office Enhancements, PKF Corporate Offices, Sydney NSW
2005, Office Enhancements, Australia Square NSW
2005, Gallery at the Wentworth, CBD, Sydney NSW
2005, Gallery at the Wentworth / Art Sydney 05 NSW
2005, M Gallery, Melbourne VIC
2005, Without a Pier Gallery, Melbourne VIC
2005, Tap Gallery, Wynne Prize, Sydney NSW
2005, Gallery at the Wentworth/Affordable Art Show Exhibition Building, Melbourne VIC
2005, Artbriz Studio / Affordable Art Show Exhibition Building, Melbourne VIC
2004, GIG Gallery / Art Show Fox Studio’s, Syd. NSW
2004, GIG Gallery, Glebe, NSW
2003, Gallery at the Wentworth, CBD, Sydney NSW
2003, Gallery at the Wentworth, The Rocks, NSW
2003, Tap Gallery, Wynne Prize, Sydney NSW
2001, Tap Gallery, Amnesty International, Syd. NSW
1998, Foyer, Family Law Courts, Melbourne VIC
1995, Kings Cross Galleries, Sydney NSW
1995, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney NSW
Solo Corporate Private Functions:
2012, Peter Rowland Wedding Showcase, Melbourne, VIC
2011, Club Melbourne, VIC
2011, Allegro Events, Melbourne VIC
2011, Table Matters, Melbourne , VIC
2011, Morning Star Estate, Mornington, VIC
2010, MTA Melbourne, VIC
2009, Paris First, Melbourne VIC
2009, SolaGen, Melbourne VIC
2009, KPMG, Melbourne VIC
2008, Paris First, Melbourne VIC
2008, Telstra, Melbourne, VIC
2008, RSVP, Melbourne Exhibition Centre VIC
2007, RSVP, Melbourne Exhibition Centre VIC
2007, MTA, Melbourne, VIC
2007, RSVP, Sydney Exhibition Centre NSW
2007, MTA, Sydney, NSW
2007, Wines by Design, VIC
2006, Ivy Corporate Centre, Flinders Lane VIC
2006, Wines by Design Sydney, NSW
2004, Netstar – Pine Street Gallery, Sydney NSW
2003, Hyperlink – Gallery TenEleven, Armadale, VIC
2003, Ignite – Gallery TenEleven, Armadale, VIC
2003, SFI – Gallery TenEleven, Armadale, VIC
Charities
2014, Australian Stroke Foundation
2013, Art with Heart, Sick Kids
2013, Amnesty International
2011, Scope See me September ball
2010, Art of Giving, Youth Suicide
2009, Australian Red Cross Fire Fund
2009, The Art Cabriolet, Auction Night, Vic
2009, Art of Giving, Youth Suicide
2008, Jan, Rotary Melbourne
2006, Sept, Diabetes New South Wales
2006, June, Diabetes – Annual Ball
2005, Sept, Look Good Feel Good – Dream Ball
2005, Sept, Cornucopia Committee