UC Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) painting student, Hazel Rae, has been named as the runner up in The Adam Portraiture Award 2024.
The Adam Portraiture Award is a biennial competition for painted portraits of New Zealanders, by New Zealanders and presents a breadth of responses to identity and representation.
This year, the portraits were judged by Felicity Milburn, lead Curator at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, and Karl Maughan, one of New Zealand’s most recognisable artists.
Hazel's entry is titled Lindsey's Garden, oil on canvas, 2023.
“Lindsey’s Garden is a full-length portrait of my Nana in her garden, accompanied by her dog, Tilley. At this moment, her garden is the stage as she mischievously reaches for a pear, reenacting the child version of herself sneaking fruit. The story goes that in her youth, she tamed the watchdogs belonging to the nearby orchardist in Alexandra so that she and her friends could steal cherries. While the cherries of her youth may have withered, her playful spirit endures.”