Lightscapes

An exhibition by Zoe Alford

New work from local painter Zoe Alford of lightscapes around te Tairāwhiti including seascapes, beaches, farmland, a vineyard, Eastland Port, and the old Midway Surf-Lifesaving Club.

Zoe is firmly attached to realism in her artwork, but a close look reveals almost abstract patterns: reflections in water, seas of grass, slumped terracettes, the reef. All such patterns are rendered with care to create the overall sensation of a private glimpse at a moment in time when beauty is revealed by the light.

These paintings are always, already, historical. In the last two years, while Zoe has been working on this collection, the Midway SLS club has gone, and so too has the Waimatā tugboat. Waiteata Park now has riparian under-planting, and the face of te Kurī o Pāoa/Young Nick’s Head is always changing. Although her intention wasn’t to record scenes of te Tairāwhiti for the purpose of documenting them, these works represent another chapter in the tracing of local history.

Zoe’s award-winning work is held in national and international collections.