Rotorua's Toni Armstong a finalist in prestigious Adam Portraiture Award

Toni Armstong's portrait of Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / Supplied

Rotorua artist Toni Armstong has been selected as a finalist from 351 entries nationwide in the prestigious 2022 Adam Portraiture Award.

She has been chosen for her oil portrait of Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick, with 45 entries selected as finalists.

Entries included well-known New Zealanders, such as Dame Suzie Moncrieff DNZM, Peter Yealands, and Judy Darragh ONZM feature, along with portraits of friends, family members, and several self-portraits.

The biennial award, generously sponsored by The Adam Foundation and presented by The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, is one of the country's longest running art prizes which has a cash prize of $20,000, national recognition and regularly tours the country.

Entries have been received from throughout New Zealand as well as entries from Kiwi artists based in the United Kingdom, United States of America, and Australia.

Toni says she found out she was a finalist last week, which was exciting and she feels very honoured.

"I have been a finalist before, about four years ago, with a portrait of my dad.

"Because it's such a prestigious award and hard to get in, it's very exciting."

She says you spend a lot of time making a portrait, as the process includes sitting with the subject, coming up with a concept, and the time spent doing the painting to make sure it is how you want.

The portrait of Steve Chadwick took her three to four months.

Toni says she has lived in Rotorua since she was 2 years old, and Steve Chadwick has been an icon for Rotorua in terms of her work and how much she has done for the community.

"She's a strong female figure ... she's also a strong supporter of the art community".

She says the Adam Portraiture Award is great because it's New Zealanders painting New Zealanders, and will offer a great portrait history for the future.

"It has given a lot of people a head start in their art careers."

She will be heading down to Wellington with her partner for the awards night on May 25.

"It's a really great evening and Wellington is a very artsy city."

The winner of the competition and recipient of a $20,000 cash prize will be selected by the judges at the start of the public exhibition showcasing all finalists' works at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery.

An additional prize of $2500 will be awarded for the runner-up alongside another $2500 prize for the People's Choice, awarded at the end of the Adam Portraiture Award exhibition.

Reflecting on the 2022 entries, judge Linda Tyler, Associate Professor and convener of Museums and Cultural Heritage at the University of Auckland, says, "Compared to last year, there has been a huge upswing in the diversity of media represented in the entries.

"It is great to see some experimentation with the portrait format, and plenty of witty takes on the whole exercise of self-portraiture too."

The winning submission will be announced on May 25 and the exhibition will run at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakata in Shed 11 on Wellington's waterfront from May 27 to August 14.

A selection of finalist paintings will tour throughout the country in multiple venues across the North and South Island.

The full list of finalists can be found at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery or online at www.nzportraitgallery.org.nz.