Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui artist Christine Fowler finalist in Adam Portraiture Award 2022

Liz Wylie
By Liz Wylie
Multimedia Journalist, Whanganui Chronicle·Whanganui Chronicle·
26 Apr, 2022 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Whanganui artist Christine Fowler with Bruce the dog who features in her painting selected for the Adam Portraiture Award this year. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui artist Christine Fowler with Bruce the dog who features in her painting selected for the Adam Portraiture Award this year. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui artist Christine Fowler is a fifth-time finalist in one of Aotearoa's biggest national awards.

Fowler is one of 45 finalists in the Adam Portraiture Award 2022, which offers a major prize of $20,000 and is held at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in Wellington.

"I have always enjoyed painting portraits and being selected as a finalist for the Adam Portraiture Awards is a bit of a thrill because they receive hundreds of entries," she said.

"This year my entry is a self-portrait and it is reflective of my experiences of losing loved ones over the last four years."

Self Portrait with Bruce is an oil on stretched canvas painting that depicts the artist huddled before a wood burner stove with a cup in her hand, a steaming kettle, and her friend Julie's American bulldog keeping her company.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Over the past four years, I have lost my father, my son who died of cancer, my husband, and my mother," said Fowler.

"It has been so devastating and exhausting and my painting depicts that sense of overwhelming loss. The steam escaping from the kettle and through the door is representative of the transient nature of life."

Bruce, she said, is in the painting because he has been a source of silent comfort during such difficult times.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Despite the sombre mood of the painting, there is brightness and hope in Fowler's red hat and jacket as she gazes away from the viewer towards something unknown.

"I'm glad I've been able to keep painting. I am very much an expressionist and it is my way of giving voice to my feelings."

Fowler said it would be fantastic to win the major Adam Award prize, although it was not her main impetus for entering her work in the competition.

"It is always a great feeling just to be a finalist and it is such good exposure for an artist to have your work on show at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery."

Discover more

Play trail in CBD an 18-stop hop

20 Apr 05:00 PM

Whanganui artist explores source of her creativity

21 Apr 05:00 PM

Durie Hill lookout design concept progressing

13 Apr 12:15 AM

New engineer owner looks forward restoring heritage building

04 Apr 05:00 PM

Fowler's painting is one of 45 final works selected from 351 entries.

Christine Fowler's painting Self Portrait with Bruce is a finalist in the 2022 Adam Portraiture Award.

Photo / Supplied
Christine Fowler's painting Self Portrait with Bruce is a finalist in the 2022 Adam Portraiture Award. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui-based artist André Brönnimann was the major Adam Portraiture Award prizewinner for his painting Sisters, of subjects Te Rawanake Robinson-Coles, Inahaa Te Urutahi Waikerepuru, and Ria Wihapi-Waikerepuru in 2016.

The inaugural competition was held in 2000 and was called the National Portrait Competition. It has been known as the Adam Portraiture Award since 2002. Since 2006, the winning artworks have been acquired into the New Zealand Portrait Gallery collection.

This year glass, cotton rags, steel, and linen are just some of the interesting materials used to create painted works shortlisted for the award.

Judge Linda Tyler said the diversity of materials used was impressive.

"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."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Tyler is the associate professor and convener of Museums and Cultural Heritage at Auckland University. Her fellow judge this year is world-renowned New Zealand artist Karl Maughan.

The winning submission will be announced on Wednesday, May 26, and the exhibition will run at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakata in Shed 11 on Wellington's waterfront from May 27 until August 14.

In addition to the major award, there is a runner-up prize of $2500 and a People's Choice Award of $2500 awarded at the end of the exhibition.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Plans for new design school must move 'at haste'

Whanganui Chronicle

Grant helps school provide rugby player shelters

Whanganui Chronicle

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Plans for new design school must move 'at haste'
Whanganui Chronicle

Plans for new design school must move 'at haste'

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe has been critical of Ucol's commitment to Whanganui.

15 Jul 06:00 PM
Grant helps school provide rugby player shelters
Whanganui Chronicle

Grant helps school provide rugby player shelters

15 Jul 05:00 PM
Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running
Whanganui Chronicle

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running

15 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP