Artist Margaret Heywood (right) presents the painted wine barrel to raffle winner Natasha Mitchener of Osoyoos at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery on Oct. 17. (Contributed photo)
An Osoyoos woman is the lucky winner of a painted wine barrel showcasing a South Okanagan landscape.
Penticton artist Margaret Heywood applied her creative talent to the painting of this wine barrel for raffle at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, with all proceeds going to the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society.
The winner, drawn on Oct. 14 at the Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Wine Shop, was Natasha Mitchener, owner and operator of Wine Tours Gone South an Osoyoos-based wine-touring business.
Mitchener isn’t yet sure where she’s going to place the barrel.
“I really did not expect to win, so I have not given that too much thought, but it is such a gorgeous piece, that it will be in a prominent, very visible place, that’s for sure.”
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The oil-painted barrel by Heywood has been on display at the Winery for the past four months, and the raffle ticket sales provided the conservation society with approximately $5,000.
Lauren Meads, CEO of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society was delighted that the raffle did so well financially, and offered her profound thanks to artist Heywood, and to the winery, for organizing the raffle and providing the wine shop space to display the work.
“This was simply a great idea with a wonderful result,” Meads said.
The images on the barrel are South Okanagan vineyards and landscapes, Heywood said, and if the painting could be rolled out flat it would be a mural approximately seven feet in width and 2.5 feet in height.
“I had to decide how to treat the barrel bung hole, so it became a woodpecker’s home in a large Ponderosa pine tree,” Heywood said.
“I have never done anything like this before, so it was a lot of work, but I had great fun with it.”
