Armstrong is self-taught, painting and drawing for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n
She chose to paint Andrews as she knew him \u201cso well\u201d \u2013 something that is important when capturing a person\u2019s \u201ccharacter\u201d, Armstrong said.<\/p>\n
The pair met at an art class about 15 years ago. <\/p>\n
Andrews was a sculptor, and the two spent \u201ca lot of time\u201d sculpting together while Armstrong recovered from foot surgery.<\/p>\n
In the portrait, Armstrong focused on capturing his sculpting \u201csquare fingers\u201d and \u201ca bit of a smirk\u201d reflecting Andrews\u2019 \u201cquiet sense of humour\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done the eyes so [the portrait] watches you as you move around … trying to catch how he observes people.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Andrews] thinks it\u2019s very good and his family think it\u2019s very much like him,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Though he found it \u201cconfronting\u201d \u2013 it was Armstrong\u2019s most close-up portrait yet. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like having your face up close to a mirror,\u201d Armstrong said \u2013 something \u201chard for anyone to confront\u201d on some days. <\/p>\n
But that made it \u201cedgy\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
The portrait took shape over six months, working in little bits. Armstrong would paint, observe and refine.<\/p>\n
Rotorua artist Toni Armstrong\u2019s portrait, George, is a finalist in the 2026 Adam Portraiture Award.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can be a millimetre out, and it doesn\u2019t quite look like the person,\u201d Armstrong said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt will frustrate me until I know it\u2019s right … until [I] get that feeling of that person.\u201d <\/p>\n
She often kept the painting in front of her in the lounge, going \u201cback and forth\u201d making changes.<\/p>\n
Armstrong, who is self-taught, works from her home studio in the \u201cvery quiet and rural\u201d \u014ckere Falls, which she said was \u201cgood\u201d for her painting.<\/p>\n
She enjoyed painting people, as well as birds, flowers and anything colourful. <\/p>\n
She described it as a \u201cdifficult competition\u201d, with \u201creally talented\u201d artists from across New Zealand.<\/p>\n
After finishing a recent series for the Morrinsville Gallery, she was taking a short break \u2013 but has started sketching her son-in-law.<\/p>\n
Toni Armstrong with her portrait of former Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick, which was selected as a finalist in the 2022 Adam Portraiture Award.<\/p>\n
It is her third time as a finalist. Her previous portraits included former Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick in 2022 and her father, Wally, in 2018. <\/p>\n
Entries for the Adam Portraiture Award were required to be painted portraits of living New Zealanders, created from at least one live sitting or study from life. <\/p>\n
Brian Wood, New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te P\u016bkenga Whakaata director, said this created a \u201cdeeper sense of connection\u201d between the artist and the sitter, with \u201cmore immediacy and presence\u201d.<\/p>\n
Wood said the range of materials and approaches showed how \u201cexpansive contemporary portraiture can be\u201d. <\/p>\n
Awards judge Jude Rae selected the finalists and said it was an \u201cenormous challenge\u201d. <\/p>\n
Rae would decide the winner on May 20, awarding them $30,000. The runner-up prize and People\u2019s Choice Award would each receive $2500.<\/p>\n