·sculptures·
Tandem Totem; 1990
Lacquer on Stainless Steel
Florida Southern College
Fonchen Lord was an american abstract painter and sculptor primarily based in Lakeland, Florida.
Early in her career, Lord began to explore cubism before delving into complete abstraction.
Her two-dimensional works created between the early 1960s and the mid 1970s built upon movement, shape and the visual conflicts of color.
As Lord became increasingly interested in how her works had different effects based on the viewer´s vantage point, she broke away from the limitations of flat canvases, moving on to three-dimensional canvas boxes of varying shapes, and later, to aluminum sculptures that continued to explore irregular planes, finishes, and colors.
Fonchen Lord works can be seen in Florida
in public museums, universities, public buildings,
and private collections.
Many works are available for loan to public institutions,
and full-sized realizations of model sculptures are available.
Retrospective Exhibition
at Florida Southern College
Standing Fold #6
Stainless Steel
Florida Southern College
Fonchen Lord created more than 280 two-and three-dimensional paintings,
wall sculptures and free-standing sculptures.
She left her early pointilliste landscapes to explore abstract forms,
and became a leader in Florida for abstract art from 1958 to 1993.
Four Fold #3; 1988
Urethane, Stainless Steel
*possible project at Lake Morton
Lakeland, Florida
Her early abstract Abstract Expresionist paintings were large canvases, 4 x 6 feet in size, and with broad brush strokes, vibrant movement, and no “restricting frames”. A more hard-edge period followed of Op Art and Pop Art, featuring opposing primary colors, her “expression of conflicting internal emotions, are a natural part of life”.
Feeling constrained by two dimensions, she spent much of her career creating three-dimensional boxes, folded metal wall pieces, and free-standing metal sculptures.
Fonchen saw her work as an expression of her inner emotions, “an adult discussion with oneself.” Her work is characterized by vibrant colors, asymmetry, and subtle changes of color saturation on folded planes. Her work often features circular mandalas and vertical totems, archetypal symbols of the self.
Folded Stripe #3
Stainless Steel,
Polk state College; Lakeland, FL
The Shroud 1987
Aluminium with glass stand
Gift of the artist
Polk Museum of Art Permanent Collection
Lord was an American abstract painter and sculptor primarily based in Lakeland, Florida. Early in her career, Lord began to explore cubism before delving into complete abstraction. her two-dimensional works created between the early 1960s and the mid 1970s built upon movement, shape and the visual conflicts of color.
As Lord became increasingly interested in how her works had different effects based on the viewer´s vantage point, she broke away from the limitations of flat canvases, moving on to three-dimensional canvas boxes of varying shapes, and later, to aluminum sculptures like The Shoud that continued to explore irregular planes, finishes, and colors (several examples of which hang year-round throughout the Polk Museum of Art)
Folded Stripe #3
Stainless Steel,
Polk state College; Lakeland, FL
Fonchen Lord works can be seen in Florida in public museums, universities, public buildings, and private collections. Many works are available for loan to public institutions, and full-sized realizations of model sculptures are available.
Model for Tandem Totem
Lacquer on Stainless Steel
Private Collection
Model for Standing Fold #6
Stainless Steel
Private Collection
Artist Fonchen Lord poses with
Florida Southern College
President Robert A. Davis
with one of her public art pieces.
Four Fold #3
Model and Sculpture
Stainless Steel
Private Collection