Weatherston painting 'epitome of evil', Sophie's father says

Sophie Elliott's father has suggested a title for a huge black-and-white portrait of her killer, Clayton Weatherston - "The Epitome of Evil".

The 2.5m high charcoal and acrylic painting is among 93 paintings entered in the Adam Portraiture Award, which requires artists to paint a real New Zealander.

Weatherston was jailed last year for the 2008 murder of Ms Elliott, his 22-year-old former girlfriend, whom he stabbed 216 times.

Ms Elliott's father, Gil, said he was unaware the portrait had been done.

"It would have been better to have done a nice one of Sophie," he told the Dominion Post.

The artist, Liam Gerrard, said he was interested in painting a villain for the competition.

"I went for the most hated man in the country," he said.

The 25-year-old has previously exhibited a portrait of David Bain, who was last year acquitted of the murder of his family.

National Portrait Gallery director Avenal McKinnon said it was probably the most contentious subject to appear in the competition.

"You could, in some countries, say artists are not allowed to paint bad people or murderers. But in New Zealand we have this wonderful freedom, it's what democracy is all about.

"As a portrait gallery, we feel we have to encourage it. What does evil look like? It's the face of evil and it's horrifying that it is so ordinary."

The portrait was selected from more than 300 entries by Australian judge Andrew Sayers, based on artistic merit alone.

The competition was judged yesterday afternoon, with the winner to be announced this evening.

The entries can be viewed by the public in Wellington tomorrow.

- NZPA