The impulsive haircut that led to winning the $25,000 Parkin Drawing Prize

An artwork that was inspired by an impulsive DIY haircut amid a period of Covid-19 isolation has won the Parkin Drawing Prize of $25,000.

‘Liam cutting his hair after a sleepless night’ by Siân Stephens, 26, from Wellington, was selected as the winner of the annual award by judge Felicity Milburn. The victory was announced at a reception on Monday evening at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington with arts patron Chris Parkin, who is funding the awards.

Just hours after learning of her win, Stephens, who creates art in her spare time, said she was in shock. “I tried to be really cool about it, but I screamed a little and ran around.”

The City Gallery Wellington Visitor Services host was chosen as the winner from a record 588 entries and 76 nationally shortlisted works.

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Stephens based the artwork on a photo she took of her boyfriend Liam cutting his 40cm long locks at the end of a night out drinking coffee in April.

The couple were in a particularly long period of isolation, having gone through a cycle of illnesses from their housemates before falling ill themselves. Liam, a musician and sound artist, decided to stay up one night working.

Stephens remembers being woken up by the fact that he said he was going to cut his hair. Early in the process, “in a beautiful light”, she decided to document the moment. Stephens remembers Liam having fun, while she was emotional and grieving. “[I was like] a toddler who sees his father without a beard for the first time.

A seasoned oil painter who hadn’t drawn anything in years, Stephens decided to use the Parkin Competition as motivation to re-engage in practice. She had never entered the competition before.

Still in isolation, some of Stephens’ friends brought him a package of art supplies. She used the photograph as a reference and, unusually for her, began working on it almost immediately. The finished 42cm x 48.5cm artwork is made of colored pencil, ink pen and acrylic on brown paper.

Milburn said Stephens’ work spoke to her and gave her a visceral response during the blind judging process. It left some room for the imagination, she said, which was often difficult to do with portraiture.

“There was a very strong sense of character and real life within that body,” Milburn said.

The image said “very little” to the viewer and was mysterious in some ways, as the subject was only visible from behind and its reflection was obscured. Small details like Liam’s shirt and necklace were looked at fondly, Milburn said, but the artwork was also very economical and spare. “It’s that intriguing and fascinating moment in which you found them.”

Milburn also presented 10 highly regarded prizes worth $500 each.

Stephens said that before she was photographed, Liam allowed her to paint her nails blue because she was feeling sad.

“He’s the most encouraging and inspiring person there is,” she said. “He was really excited when I said I wanted to do this. Having an audience made it a bigger occasion than it was.

• The exhibition featuring finalist works and past winners of the Parkin Drawing Prize runs until 11 September at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts, Queens Wharf, Wellington.