Hawke's Bay artists named finalists in drawing competition

Hawke's Bay artist Katharine White's work "Redemption" was one of three works by artists in the region to be shortlisted for the 2017 Parkin Drawing Prize. Photo/Supplied

Several Hawke's Bay artists have prevailed in a national drawing competition.

Three people from Hawke's Bay have been chosen among 84 finalists out of more than 500 entries nationwide in the 2017 Parkin Drawing Prize.

Napier resident Asaki Kajima was chosen for her work Respiration, Leslie Falls from Hastings for Dad's Studio circa 1967 and Hawke's Bay's Katharine White for Redemption.

Finalists' works will be showcased in a free public exhibition at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington from August 2 to September 3.

Founder Chris Parkin said the high standard of entries received this year showed that drawing was certainly alive and well in New Zealand.

"I'm once again thrilled to see such an enthusiastic response for the fifth year of this competition.

"I am looking forward to seeing the diverse range of artworks on show at the gallery and getting the drawing conversation going.

"All the artworks will be for sale giving admirers and collectors the opportunity to purchase some wonderful pieces which are unlikely to be seen again, given many of the finalists are not represented in any gallery. "

NZ Academy of Fine Arts president Greg Chaston said he expected the competition to be as dynamic and challenging as ever and wished each finalist well in the competition.

An advisory panel consisting of Gow Langsford Gallery director John Gow, Govett Brewster director Simon Rees, arts commentator, historian and writer Warren Feeney and painter Kelcy Taratoa spent hours assessing hundreds of entries before coming up with the shortlist.

The shortlisted works will be showcased at the Parkin Drawing Prize exhibition and the winning submission will be selected and announced by New Zealand artist Seraphine Pick at the opening on August 1.

Eight of the finalists were shortlisted for two pieces of work, the highest number of double-entry shortlisted works ever recorded in the competition.

These included Krystie Wade and Liam Gerrard from Auckland, Kirsty Lillico, Heather Haywood, Maria O'Toole and Billy Wilson from the Wellington region, Emma-Kate Moore from Kingston and Ina Johann from Christchurch.

The competition, attracting a major prize of $20,000, was launched by Parkin five years ago and 10 highly commended prizes of $500 will also be awarded to artists as an added incentive.

Works in competition range in size from the small (148mm x 192mm) to very large (4500mm x 1400mm) and entries have been received from all over the country from Whangarei to Dunedin.

There is even an entry from a New Zealand artist residing in Berlin.

There were a range of drawings utilising the usual materials such charcoal, graphite and pencil while others chose mediums such as iPads, mixed media, digital animation and even a carpet installation.