Making the "almost banal" enthralling proved to be the winning formula at the Craigs Aspiring Art Prize last weekend. Wellington artist Zoe Marsden took home the $20,000 acquisition prize for her oil painting The Lookout, which depicts an abandoned police hut overlooking the motorway in Thordon.
Sam Foley, a renowned contemporary New Zealand Landscape painter and one of the prize’s two judges, said he had been drawn to the winning image by its subject, which had stuck with him on the drive from Dunedin.
"For once, I didn’t actually ask how — I asked what and then why. What appealed to me is that search by the artist to find an almost banal subject, and then present it in such a curious way. For me, it’s such a strong image but also so subtly ambiguous in its nature. Really strong work, in my opinion."
Now in its 17th year, the annual fundraiser for Wānaka’s Holy Family Catholic School draws artists from across New Zealand to submit original pieces for judgement.