This week is the big week!!  James Judd and Son Vineyard starts bottling their two newest wines.  They are a Tempranillo and a Cabernet Sauvignon.  Why am I talking about this?  Well last year during the Castro Street Fair, James (the son) and his partner stopped in my booth.  They took a business card and left.  The following day, they sent me an e-mail after checking out my Flickr site.  I still have the e-mail. 

James had a new family of wines coming out and wanted to do a different and cool vintage design.  Their thought was that many people purchase wines based on the label.  And they wanted to come out with something new and creative for this new line they were releasing. 

They had secured the name “A Cellar Full of Noise” several years ago.  It is from a verse out of Petula Clark’s I Know a Place.  And they wanted a label that gave you a sense of A Cellar Full of Noise.  I took on the project in October and delivered three final designs at the beginning of December 2007.  One of the cool things James committed to and did was add my website url on the back of the label.  So it says “Cover Art by Venita Hawkins-Bird” and my website url.  Is that cool or what?

Amanda Campo, a graphic artist, took my original design and created the actual label layout and all the text that would go onto the label.  The label went through approval, which happened in March.  Then they order labels and bottles and set a bottling date, which starts this week. 

The wine is sold in southern California and in the Washington DC area.  I am hopeful to go out to California and pick up a few bottles of each design.  And I have friends all over the states and in Europe that want bottles as well.  So need to workout how to make that happen.

You can see both labels on the Commissions page of my website.  The one displayed here is one of James’ favorite of the three designs.  They now have it framed and hanging on the wall at home. 

James was awesome to work with and was glowing about all the designs.  I feel so honored to have done this project and to see my work on a wine label.  This is one of the precise moments when I realized that I really am an artist.  I am truly blessed.

Last week I talked about my Virtual Launch.  Well out of a stroke of good fortunate, I received a commission that very night from my dear friend Brenda Hunter.  She is currently a delegate for the Idaho Democratic State Convention this coming weekend.  And she is campaigning to be a National Convention Delegate for Barack Obama. 

Brenda has a fantastic story and if you have time, please check out her blog (I have linked to it hear and on the right of my blog).  She is campaigning hard to win one of 12 delegate slots.   To secure a delegate position, Brenda has marshaled several people to help her campaign for a delegate position.  People will be calling other delegates on her behalf and asking them to vote for her, manning a table at the convention and sharing information about Brenda, writing press releases and trying to get her on local TV and radio.  She asked if I would create a design for her t-shirts, poster, and post cards for the convention.  We are all so excited for her and I wish I lived closer so I could help out more.  But with that said, I designed three images for her.  I am sharing one of the images she selected. 

I am truly hopeful that she will win a slot.  She would be an awesome delegate and I know she would go in and represent us all!  Good Luck Brenda!!!