Past Blank Canvas Winners
To engage and showcase our local creative community, we invited designers and artists from all over New Zealand to contribute to the creation of our 2021 & 2022 Juno Gin Seasonal Range - Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring labels.
Spring 22 designed by Jade Turner
“My piece which I titled SPRING FLING is inspired by new friendships, budding romances and fleeting “meet cute” moments. This is an expression of happiness, freedom, vitality and a celebration of life and love captured over an abstract sunset watercolour of New Zealand landscape.
I am a graphics and homewares designer who is inspired by nature and the world around me. Having worked in the industry for over 15 years on a variety of projects and collections, from beautiful homewares, kids capsules, textiles designs, social content and even packaging for some of New Zealand’s biggest retailers, I have learnt that sometimes the biggest impact can come in the smallest forms. I was truly enticed by the Brief from the Juno team: Friendship in Any Season. This speaks to me in a way that relates not only to how we connect as a people and tribe but also how we connect to earth, to our homes, to our prized possessions and cherished memories. Everything has a story and for me the best stories are often shared over an iced glass of Gin”.
My work and design process can often be seen on my instagram page @Caviarfox
Winter 22 designed by Hiroaki Teraoka
Artist Bio:
Titled: Friends that dance together stay together.
“I’m a marketing graphic designer and photographer based in Wellington. I completed my study in Industrial design but somehow I ended up becoming a graphic designer and it has been a very interesting journey so far“.
“My answer to ‘Friendship in any season’ is that good friendship happens organically and good friends do silly things together like dancing around the bonfire naked in the middle of the Winter without any judgement or purpose. I also think that we could do with a bit of humour and playfulness considering what’s been happening in the world for the last couple of years”.
Autumn 22 designed by Jessica Rozencwajg
Artist Bio:
“I’m a part time artist currently living in Wellington, and working in a lovely little cafe. I grew up in Taranaki, where I loved wandering the beach or coastal walkway with friends, which inspired this design. Autumn is the time for squeezing in walks on the beach, even though the sun is setting a little earlier each day. It’s about warm conversations in the fresh, chilly air, and those special finds that catch your eye among the sand and waves”.
Summer 22 designed by Vicki Pickles
Artist Bio:
“I loved the ethos behind Juno after reading about the competition … plus I love gin! I’m always inspired to make use of the things around me instead of purchasing new, so out came the scraps of paper! To create the image I carefully cut out all the individual pieces and set about gluing them to create my design! The theme ‘friendship in any season’ instantly made me think about lying in the warmth of the sun by the water, enjoying time with friends and feeling relaxed – and most likely having a gin! It was probably me dreaming of a passed life having been stuck in the Auckland lockdown! The competition gave me great enjoyment, focus, and an opportunity for me to practice and refine my creative skills. I’m very grateful to have won this competition with so many amazing artists and creators in New Zealand.”
Summer 21 designed by Abbey Barlow.
Artist Bio:
Autumn 21 designed by Niels Yuan.
Artist Bio:
Red Martini, inspired by a woman enjoying a cocktail at a garden party, amongst the Autumn leaves. This is an expression of freedom, vitality and celebration of life associated with the goddess of Juno.
Growing up in Rotorua, Niels spent a number of years studying, travelling and working around the world, before settling back in the North Island. Over the years, he had dabbled in a number of different fields from Physics and Aeronautics to Music and Education; more recently, he traded in his job in the Finance industry for life as a part-time artist. In his paintings, he combines abstract elements with figurative images, using layers of semi-transparent planes, straight edges, and flowing curves to build a multi-dimensional image that is both dynamic and static, evoking a sense of the atmosphere, emotions and qualities which lie beyond the purely visual.
Red Martini is an original oil painting created on a stretched linen canvas and is yet to be exhibited.
Winter 21 designed by Steven Greenblatt.
Artist Bio:
“Steven is an illustrator and lives with his partner in Taranaki, where he works as a junior doctor in New Plymouth. His lifelong interest in art has been inspired by his grandfather, who is an excellent artist. His label design features Jupiter, which ties into the story of the goddess Juno in Roman mythology – she was Queen of the Gods and wife of Jupiter”.
Spring 21 designed by Llewellyn Parry.
Artist Bio:
“I am a designer, illustrator and animator currently based in Christchurch. I love to create work that is meaningful, beautiful and fun. After completing a bachelor of design in 2015 I worked primarily as a graphic designer and illustrator for a number of years until I developed a love for animation and motion graphics. Nowadays I practice all 3 disciplines and work as a freelance designer on various projects. Creating the spring Juno Gin label illustration was a blast, I hope you like it”.