The sequence of events was fit for a Hollywood script itself:
One of Randolph’s pieces is on display in a Telluride art gallery. Award-winning director Quentin Tarantino walks in. He sees the piece, and is so impressed he orders one for himself and nine other custom bottles for his A-list cast members as a gift.
“He came in, saw it, and they (Elinoff Gallery staff) told me his mouth dropped,” said Randolph. “He wanted them as a gift for his main movie stars.”
Tarantino has been in Telluride filming some key scenes for his highly-anticipated eighth feature film, “The Hateful Eight.” Its top-billed cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern and James Parks.
Randolph has been making the bottles for just over a year at her Cortez studio, and has commissioned pieces for Jimmy Suckla, 2009 Kentucky Derby Winner owner Mark Allen, as well as legendary California cattleman Phil Stadler. Tarantino’s order is the highest-ticket item her studio has filled so far, Randolph said.
After importing the wine bottles from France, Randolph treats them as her canvas, and incorporates etching, airbrushing and hand painting to transform them into a gallery-worthy showpieces.
In addition to a massive 15-liter, 30-inch tall, double-sided custom bottle for the director, Randolph designed other nine other 6-liter wine bottles for the main cast members to be presented as gifts at the conclusion of filming.
To make the custom “Hateful Eight” bottles, Randolph sandblasted the surface before airbrushing on the custom logo and cast list. The bottles also feature blood-red polymer drippings down the neck, an homage to the director’s iconic blood-soaked storylines.
“It’s supposed to be a very bloody movie,” said Randolph.
Randolph shipped the bottles out to Hollywood on Monday, but remains on Cloud Nine after her recent turn of events.
“This has been a huge year for me: I turned 50, I got married, and I made it to Hollywood,” she said with a laugh.
