Designer of Hand-Painted Wine Glasses Wins Duboeuf “Nouveau Expression-Be Heard”

Finalists’ Works to Be Unveiled at Exhibit in New York Nov. 16-17 As Part of Nouveau Day

NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Becky Suriano of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, an artist who creates intricately hand-painted wine glasses – has been named Grand Prize Winner for Georges Duboeuf‘s Nouveau Expression-Be Heard art contest.

Suriano’s wine glasses, along with the artwork of nine other Be Heard contest finalists, will be unveiled at a special Nouveau Expression art exhibit November 16-17 in New York as part of Georges Duboeuf‘s annual Nouveau Day parties.

The contest was judged by Brooklyn graffiti and music artist “Kaves” who reviewed more than 70 submissions from around the U.S., including paintings, drawings, photographs and video. Suriano, whose art-glass business is called Wine Me?, will receive $1,000 and the chance to spend a day with Kaves in New York.

Becky calls her designs “drinkable art.” “I am a very outdoorsy person and I am inspired most by nature. Whether it’s taking a daily walk in my neighborhood, to camping in the mountains of West Virginia where I spent my college years, I find beauty in everything,” said Suriano, whose sybaritic spirit truly drinks in life to the fullest. According to a profile on Becky on SacreBleuWine.com, her intricately painted wine glasses “have taken the wine glass to a fresh new level.”

Finalists, whose works will be featured in the Nouveau Expression art exhibit include: Jeanne Apelseth, Rapid City, SD; Tom Calisti, San Francisco, CA; Cheryl Frey, Patchogue, NY; Izumi Inoue, New York, NY; Kikaxink, Pompano Beach, FL; Brian Life, Brooklyn, NY; Cam O’Brien, Lincoln, NE; Van2 Rocstars, Kissimmee, FL and Rodney Rodriguez, Freeport, NY.

“I was impressed by the originality of the works I reviewed. Each submission has its own unique story and expression. Some entrants were inspired by emotion, society or their cultural heritage, others from where they grew up and or where they live now. Not all who submitted works are full time artists; for example, one finalist is a New York City detective whose passion is painting. That’s the beauty of this contest – everyone has a statement to make and creative way to express it,” said Kaves.

Nouveau Day is a global celebration of the annual release of France‘s Beaujolais Nouveau, a fresh, fruity red wine made from the Gamay grape and bottled six weeks after harvest. By law Beaujolais Nouveau may be released after midnight on the third Thursday in November while festive Nouveau Day parties take place around the world.

“Nouveau is more than a fun, fresh wine to enjoy. It stands for enjoying life and living in the moment. This is a young wine that celebrates the end of harvest and the start of the holiday season, a time for sharing with friends and family and for celebration,” said Franck Duboeuf, co-proprietor of Les Vins Georges Duboeuf.