By permission of the artist, The Cyber Art Show is pleased to feature the first of two 12-piece exhibitions of works by contemporary 

American landscape painter Robert H. Lafond (born 1947  in New Hampshire, USA). 

​

The painter Bob Lafond, originally from New Hampshire, started drawing and painting as a child, encouraged both by his mother and grandfather. He realized early on that his French middle name, Henri, gave him another interesting artistic connection: to the painter Robert Henri. Bob Lafond attended the Boston Museum School for two years, and graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude in Art History. He was among the first students at Princeton to present a group of paintings in lieu of a senior thesis. While at Princeton he took courses with the painter in residence, Esteban Vicente, who also took an interest in his work after graduation. Afterwards, Bob worked for eighteen years at the Princeton University Art Museum, as Registrar and Exhibition Coordinator, while he continued to paint. In this capacity, he traveled extensively in the United States and Europe, visiting many museums and galleries.

​

In his mid thirties Bob lessened his artistic output to pursue other activities that he realized later were still connected with his original artistic pursuits. He worked for years in the field of computing and information technology, and also developed his spiritual and religious interests. Then, after years away from painting, his artistic interests re-emerged much more forcefully with a deeper sense of mission and purpose.

​

For the last eight years, Bob has drawn and painted almost every day. He paints in both pastels and oils, and posts his work on his art blog and Facebook. He does plein air painting and studio work, trying to maintain the freshness of plein air in the studio paintings. Though he now lives in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, he frequently visits Brooklyn and other cities, and predominantly paints both landscapes and cityscapes. The contrasting locations are vital to his work. The city, especially Brooklyn, offers energy, color and geometry, while the country offers a softer, more natural environment.

​

The artists who have influenced Bob the most in his earlier development are Willem de Kooning and Richard Diebenkorn. Today he follows many artists, including Julian Merrow-Smith, one of the first and best daily painters, Randall David Tipton, Marc Hanson, Haidee-Jo Summers, Marc Dalessio and others. He currently shares a studio in a mill building in North Adams, MA with the painter Thor Wickstrom. He exhibits frequently at the Southern Vermont Art Center, and other venues in New England. You can also see Bob’s work at the following sites:

​

www.facebook.com/RHLafondArtwork/

​

 www.etsy.com/shop/RHLAFONDArtWork 

​

​

Recent Selected Exhibitions

 

2016

Ongoing exhibition of landscape paintings at Sweet Brook Farm, Williamstown, MA

​

Winter Member Show 2016, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT, Jan. 9 –Feb. 7.

​

Solo Exhibition, The Canfield Gallery, Arlington, VT, February 4 – March 1.

​

153rd Annual Juried Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, Philadelphia Sketch Club, April 8 – 30.

​

Thirty paintings of Brooklyn at PUBLIC in North Adams, MA, March 25 – July.

​

Thirty-one paintings at Gallery 4, 4 Water Street, Williamstown, MA, June 1 - August 31.

​

National Fall Open: Chromatic, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT, September 10 - November 6.

​

Winter Member Show, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT, November 12 - January 1, 2017.

​

2015

Forty two paintings at Tunnel City Coffee, Williamstown, MA, January 8 – April 11.

​

152nd Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, Philadelphia Sketch Club, April 17 –May 9 (Honorable Mention Award).

​

Berkshire Salon 2015, Eclipse Mill Gallery, North Adams, MA, May 9 - June 7.

​

Solo Exhibition, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT, June 20 - August 2.

​

Brooklyn paintings at District, 40 West St., Pittsfield, MA, Aug. 19 – Dec.

 

60th Annual Fall Open, Southern Vermont Arts Ctr, Manchester, VT, Sept. 26 – Nov. 8.

​

29th Annual Holiday Show, “All Paintings Great and Small,” The Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT, Nov. 19 – Jan. 9, 2016.

​

2014

151st Small Oil Show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA, April 4 - 26.

​

7th Annual Berkshire Salon, Eclipse Mill Gallery, North Adams, MA, May 9 - June 1st.

​

Annual Summer Members Exhibition at the Southern Vermont Arts Ctr, Jul. 26-Sept. 7.

​

Exhibition "Landscapes, Cityscapes, Farmscapes, Mindscapes" at The Barn Gallery at Stonover Farm, Lenox, MA, July 10 - September 1.

​

National Fall Open, Southern Vermont Arts Center, September 13 - October 26.

​

2013

The Philadelphia Sketch Club's 150th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, Philadelphia, PA, April 12 - April 27. Recipient of the Third Place Award.

​

New Hope Art League Juried Art Show, New Hope, PA, May 18-26. Recipient of Third Place Award.