A moving sunrise

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

It was an early morning, again.

Somewhere around 5:30am - with the smell of coffee floating around the studio - I looked out the side doors and saw this:

The intensity of the pink/orange sky set against the deep black/green of the trees off in the distance was incredible. And then there was the band of deep purple clouds - moving like a train to the East, while the color remained in place.

So nice to wake up to!

www.JareaArt.com

Compass Rose Floorcloth

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

The new studio space has been humming with activity, including the creation of a large floorcloth for a client in Arizona.

Here is a little peek at how our "Compass Rose" floorcloth has been progressing...

The process began with our client sending us her design ideas, as well as paint and fabric chips showing the colors she would like incorporated in her custom floorcloth. We then laid out a design and showed her the image online for approval.

Then it came time to create the floorcloth. First, the canvas was measured with the help of our young studio assistant.

After that, the canvas was stretched on a wooden frame, stapled in place and painted (front and back) with several primer coats.

The paint for the main ground was mixed to match our client's decor.

The initial paint coat was applied with a scraper, later to be blended with a paintbrush.

After the compass design was measured and laid out, tape was applied to ensure nice, clean edges.

After the second color was applied, the tape was removed.

Here the cloth is nearing completion. Once the paint dried, we went over all the areas with a second coat of paint. We also inspected the cloth with a "fine tooth comb" to make absolutely sure that all edges were smooth and paint coverage was even.

We then painted the North, East, South, West letters on the cloth.

Once the paint has cured, we apply sealer. After the sealer cures, we remove the cloth from the frame. Then, the cloth is prepared for shipment and off it will travel to its new home.

Stay tuned!

The new studio

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

What a whirlwind! After a year and a few months, our lives have gone from this:

And this:

To this:

And, finally... THIS!

Now that we have a working studio space again, we are able to get back into the swing of things - so to speak.

Stay tuned for some cool updates as to what's been happening in the world of Jarea.

Thanks for reading!

Shoreline mural complete!

by Andrea Mulder-Slater


And here's the finished product...

The shoreline mural begins

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

Now that we are settled in our new studio space, out thoughts have returned to art making, in a big way. Geoff has two mural projects coming up. One - in a public tourism space and the other in a downtown St. Andrews business.

Meanwhile, he has just begin working on a mural in a private home. This one is on a wall in a large stairwell/entrance way.

Here's a sneak peek...

Stay tuned for more updates...

Do you need a mural in your home? We can do that :)

http://www.jareaart.com/murals.htm

At long last - a new website

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

Building a new home and studio have swallowed up a lot of our time over the past year. But, I am very happy to report that we have recently updated our website to reflect the new look and feel of our studio.

Have a look - we hope you like it :)

wwwJareaArt.com

Until next time,
Andrea

Harvest Floorcloth

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

We love Autumn here at Jarea Art! Cool nights, warm daytime breezes and lots of apples in the orchards. We spent the afternoon collecting apples yesterday which we brought home and made into pie. There's nothing quite like the smell of warm cinnamon. Am I right?

All of this got me thinking about a wonderful floorcloth we produced for a client in Massachusetts.

It began with a sketch:

From there, we stretched our canvas and began painting. That's Jantje working away on the background.

Once the main background colors were complete, it was time to start laying out the apples. We did this with a nice, bright pink.

We continued by adding more details to the apples, including stems, shadows and shine.

Once the painting was complete, we sealed the cloth and removed it from the frame. We finished the edges and then we had a look at our handiwork.

Here's how the cloth looked in its new home in Massachusetts.

And now, it's time for apple pie :)

JareaArt Folk 'n Fine
www.jareaart.etsy.com
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Watch for new floorcloth designs - coming soon to our Etsy shop!