This was orginally going to be a painting using tin and wooden beams to create a meaningful use of words “Tin Shed”. I should say that I've never been to the Tin Shed winery so I don't even know if they operate out of one (although I guess they do). Several times now I have bought and enjoyed the wine from Tin Shed.
Having said that my interest in wine has led me to a few wineries that work out of tin sheds as well as an old shearing shed or two. In these sheds and improvised wineries I've seen pliers, shearing combs, hammers, screwdrivers and a number of useful tools that prop up conveniently in the spaces between the ribs created by the popular building material.
The idea for this painting was sparked by the name of the brand but also my experience gleaned while visiting working wineries. The winery and the work there, can be a world away from the airconditioned tasting rooms with rows of glassware, photos of the wineries founders and maybe even an old basket press.
This painting morphed from the original idea of a wine bottle and goblet against a tin shed to a more pragmatic view of the hard work and passion that goes into making the bottle you purchase at the cellar door. Vinyards and wineries run on hard work and passion and sometimes a frustrating reliance on the weather, and I hope that I've captured some of that.
The scene for me is reminicent of a winery not so far away from me. I turned up the day after a lengthy bottling session that went into the evening. After the bottling and subsequent clean up, bottles of a previous vintage were cracked open and shared with all involved. The bottles were reserved for the occasion because they may have had scratched or soiled labels. Still the same great wine but not the best package. There are no fancy table cloths , premium glassware or even charcuterie platters just a few wooden chairs and even a tyre to sit on. The glassware and bottles lined the walls of the shed/winery. The final reward after a year of hard work.