"Pinch of Salt comes from a series of work that is a collection of images domestic in nature," she said. "When we cook we use a pinch of salt to enhance flavour. The works are about inventiveness in the kitchen, about making do with what you have and enhancing it to be great."
Ms Hansen completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Professional Art Studies from City Art Institute in Sydney from 1979 to 1992. She then went on to complete a Diploma of Teaching from the University of Sydney.
Returning to Auckland at the beginning of 1993, she gained a Master of Fine Arts first class honours at Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland.
Since her return to New Zealand she has exhibited regularly in both group and solo shows. Her only other entry, submitted last year, to the Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards was not selected for exhibition.
She has been involved in tertiary education for a number of years and is Programme Leader for Drawing and Senior Lecturer in Painting at the School of Visual Arts, Auckland University at Manukau.
Whakatane artist Simone Blackwood, a recent Trident High School graduate, gained the local artist merit award for her mixed-media triptych.
Mr Browne said narrowing the 224 entries down to just 69 to be exhibited was extremely hard.
"On the first day I used a three-sticker system," he said. "Pink stickers were definites, yellows were maybes and green were out."
On day two he brought back four or five greens and took out four or five yellows but still had 90 selected works.
"Exhibition space meant I had to get that number down to 70, it wasn't easy."
Aesthetics was the first thing he looked at when judging. before subject matter and interpretation was taken into account.
