BACKGROUND:
I purchased this bottle from Christian in mid 2003 because of the unique design but also because the design was created using stencils. This bottle was experimental and I haven’t seen anything else from Christian Winter since I acquired this bottle. BOTTLE:
To begin with the bottle is ceramic and in the process of photographing the bottle paint was flaking off. Some stuck to my cotton gloves some just popped off. Due to the mottled faux antique base coat it is difficult to see the chips. Here is one attempt to show a paint chip:  Overall the bottle is interesting but not enough to keep it in a prominent place in the collection. The stencil designs show some paint runs and slight slippage in the template as the paint was applied. Mostly I was curious as to whether traditional design work could be done using stencils rather than hand painting traditionally. I concluded that it could be done but the result was unacceptable.
UPDATE: This is one of the quickest updates on a new review ever. A few days after posting this review Shannon the Bottle Genie wrote to tell me a bit more about it and sent along a photo (at right) of her 8 year old son Tyler’s bottle. The designs look awfully familiar as they are rub on ceramic stencils. Shannon tells me that Tyler wanted to paint bottles too so mom gave him one to work his magic on while she crafted her Jeannie bottles. Frankly I think I like Tyler’s bottle better. It just goes to show how foolish and gullible I have been in acquiring some of these “interesting” bottles. Thank you to Tyler and Shannon for correcting this review. | 
