Press Room
Colorado Mountain Winefest’s Winning Art: A “Labor of Love”
Palisade, CO – The Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology (CAVE) and title sponsor First National Bank of the Rockies are proud to announce the winner of the second annual Winefest Art Contest, “Labor of Love” by artist, Mary Ellen Andrews of Grand Junction. The winning piece, depicting a farm laborer carrying a basket of grapes on his shoulder, will be featured on all promotional materials, T-Shirts, posters, etc for the 18th annual Colorado Mountain Winefest, September 17 – 20, 2009.
The winning art was chosen out of 25 entries at a reception held at the Blue Pig Gallery in Palisade, “A panel of the Winefest committee members chose the artwork on February 12th and we unveiled the winner at the Blue Pig on Friday, February 13th,” said Winefest Director, Sarah Catlin, “The art will be displayed at the Blue Pig Gallery until the end of the month.”
The artist Mary Ellen Andrews is an avid painter of the Colorado landscape, the villages in Europe and Mexico and people intensely involved in their work, “The agriculture in this area is ripe, so to speak, with objects of inspiration,” said Andrews, “I love the whole process of painting outside: The tools of the trade, the ingenious portable easels, tripods, umbrellas, the driving around…looking for the right spot to set up. I’m thrilled that the Winefest panel felt that my painting captured the essence of this year’s event.”
Andrews is a signature member of the Western Colorado Watercolor Society and the Plein Air Artists Colorado. She is also a member of the “Outsiders”, a western slope group with whom she travels, paints and exhibits, “Mary Ellen’s painting truly represents what making wine is all about,” said CAVE President, Guy Parker, “Without the dedication and hard work of our farm labor, we wouldn’t be here.”
Colorado Mountain Winefest is the fundraiser for the trade organization of grape growers and winemakers of Colorado. All funds go towards education, seminars, research, and equipment purchases to improve the grape growing and winemaking of Colorado wines. Thousands of wine lovers make the annual pilgrimage to Palisade to sample a growing array of Colorado wines and participate in a variety of events during the 4-day fest.
For more information, call (970) 464-0111 or (800) 704-3667.
Colorado Association of Viticulture and Enology is the trade organization of grape growers and winemakers of Colorado, a 501©6 non-profit organization. Since 1982, CAVE (formerly Rocky Mountain Association of Vintners and Viticulturists) has strived to promote the wine makers and grape growers of the region and the State of Colorado. All funds raised by the Colorado Mountain Winefest go towards education, seminars, research, and equipment purchases to improve the grape growing and winemaking of Colorado wines. For more information or to join, visit www.rmavv.org