A few years ago I created a piece of artwork for our house in Muriwai. At the time, I’d been exploring a series of personal works, and this piece came from wanting to capture what I loved about Muriwai, the wildness, being out in the elements, and the warmth of the sun on your skin.The “sunbather” started there, and the rest of the composition formed around it. Elements were inspired by the coastal path I walked most days, translated into flowing forms, radiating shapes, and a sense of movement drawn from the landscape.
Around the same time, Juno Gin released their Blank Canvas competition for a limited edition seasonal label. The brief was to interpret a season and respond to “free your spirit across the seasons.”I thought the artwork already felt like summer, so I entered it.Because the original composition was painted horizontally, I had to rework it into a portrait to match the shape of the bottle label. I did this on the computer, transforming it into a vertical composition, and spent time adjusting the placement, working through scale, and simplifying where needed so everything sat comfortably on the bottle.It was selected as the Juno Gin summer label!Seeing the final label printed and wrapped on the glass gave it a distinct presence. The colours appeared to settle differently, and the composition aligned with the curve of the bottle in a way that felt complete. This is something we can develop through Good Thunder as well. Original artwork that’s created with a specific application in mind and carried through into production. If you’ve ever thought about putting artwork like this onto packaging or a product, you’re welcome to get in touch.
