Barrie Lord started painting eight years ago when his daughter asked him to “do me a painting” for her 50th birthday. This was because she had seen him drawing for years.
His drawing skills were honed as an aircraft engineer for British Aerospace. He spent several years travelling across Europe, and Kenya, where he worked for UNESCO. Later he was invited to lecture in engineering at Massey University, and has spent the last 50 years in New Zealand, most recently in Kāpiti.
His fondness for mountaineering and yachting continued here, swapping the Matterhorn, Wales and Cornwall for the Hollyford Valley, the Orongorongas, Wairarapa and the Coromandel. Although colour blind, Lord’s paintings demonstrate a keen observation of changing weather patterns and how light shapes landforms and buildings through changing seasons.
For the last fifteen of their 60 years together Barrie looked after his wife who suffered from Alzheimers and it became increasingly difficult to go anywhere. He wished he had started painting earlier, as he has loved it and said it has given him “a great amount of pleasure”. He hoped it would give the same to other people viewing it.
Sadly, Barrie Lord passed away before he could see the exhibition himself but he was very happy with the interest in his work. Many visitors have also asked if the paintings are for sale. While the exhibition paintings are not for sale, his family have provided several framed and unframed paintings which you can purchase in the gallery shop.
The work is on show until 23 November 2025.