Solace in paint strokes
A Foxton Beach artist has won national recognition with her first piece of work since an horrific family tragedy almost 10 years ago.
Vivienne Still was judged runner-up in the prestigious Adam Portraiture Award recently for her work Engage, depicting a chance meeting with a young woman sitting high on a wall in Wellington.
Taken by the moment, she took a photograph, and from that was able to craft her first serious piece work for almost a decade.
Still hadn’t painted since the tragic death of her 19-year-old daughter Alexis, the youngest of three children, in a hot air balloon accident in Carterton in early 2012, along with 10 others.
In her grief, Still lost all passion for painting. It was traumatic time for the whole family, husband Allan and Alexis’ sister and brother Emma and Ben.
“I just couldn’t paint,” she said.
But while walking along the Wellington waterfront one day with her dog Nala, she noticed a young woman, Chloe Schuster, sitting on the Frank Kitts wall.
What took Still’s eye was Chloe’s green hair against the very deep blue of the sky.
Still felt compelled to take a photograph and asked Schuster if she would mind.
“That’s what blew me away — the green against the blue. But when she looked up, beautiful shadow patterns from her hair fell on her face.”
“It was so momentous. I can still remember that, even now. It was like . . . it was given to me.”
She just knew she had to put the scene on canvas. And if she didn’t do it right there and then — she never would.
The Adam Portrait Award’s final day to enter the competition was close. This gave Still a target to work towards.
“It was the fastest and hardest I had ever worked, completing it in just a few weeks,” she said.
Still has maintained regular contact with Schuster, who accompanied her to the Awards.
“I find young people have so much potential and so much to give. I always think that putting young people up on something higher symbolises where they are about to go in the future and that’s what I hoped to illustrate with this work,” she said.
Engage was judged runnerup late last month at the awards, against a record 373 entries nationwide and 50 finalists at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pu¯ kenga Whakaata, with Still taking home $2,500.
“It’s really blown me away. I wasn’t even going to submit it,” she said.
The judges said the use of a smartphone, ripped jeans and dyed hair had captured an instantly recognisable image of youth.
“Concentrating on the elements of the subject’s clothing and hairstyle which communicate her youthful urban character, this artist has made an iconic image of a younger generation . . . ”
Lower Hutt artist Sacha Lees was announced overall winner of the 2020 Adam Portraiture Award, and the $20,000 cash prize for her self-portrait Sometimes.
Still said she had always loved drawing as a youngster.
“I think I had always looked really intently at paintings, right back when I was young,” she said.
She began to produce art using mostly charcoal and pencils — never in colour. It wasn’t until 15 years ago that she felt bold enough to begin using colour.
All 50 finalists are on display at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pu¯ kenga Whakaata, Shed 11, Queens Wharf, Wellington until 22 May.