A photograph honouring Lord of the Rings star Liv Tyler by Wellington-based artist Steve Thomson has won the New Zealand Art Show’s Signature Piece Award worth $5000.

A photograph honouring Lord of the Rings star Liv Tyler by Wellington-based artist Steve Thomson has won the New Zealand Art Show’s Signature Piece Award worth $5000.

The winning artwork in the Signature Piece Art Award sponsored by Winesale.co.nz is an analog photo of a peony, called Constellation Fecund – Liv.  The award was presented at a dinner in Wellington to thank sponsors on Wednesday 22 September.

“Talent in art photography is much underestimated so this award is a welcome recognition of the genre,” New Zealand Affordable Art Trust executive director Carla Russell said.

“Steve Thomson’s work is beautifully executed. His attention to detail is exceptional.”

Thomson’s work was one of 10 selected by the trust’s judging panel to be displayed in the Signature Gallery during the seventh annual art show held at the TSB Bank Arena on Wellington’s waterfront from July 30 to August 1. The final say went to the public who voted on their preferred piece as they made purchases at the show. This is the second year that the Signature Piece Art Award has been offered.

The objectives of the $5000 award are to recognise artistic excellence in the visual arts; highlight promising artists for the future; encourage, develop and promote emerging artists to new artistic levels; and give the public a voice as to who would they like to reward. The award is one of the ways in which the trust returns profits from the shows to the artists.

Thomson said, “I had been working on making a photograph that exemplifies the power of the Yin, the feminine, and the peony is the most feminine flower I know. I spent quite a lot of time with Liv Tyler during the Lord of the Rings shoot and she simply exudes feminine power. Hence the photograph is named Liv in her honour and I gifted her the first print as a thanks for the inspiration.”

Thomson has lived in Wellington for 12 years and, as a masseur specialising in working with performers, has travelled worldwide.

“The Signature Art prize will allow me to work on several projects at a faster pace. My photography is not limited by inspiration but by budget,” he said.