Commission: World's largest golf ball?

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

Geoff has finished painting the first of two large metal floats which will serve as signs for a local golf course. The float was painted with metal marine-grade paint so it will stand up to our local Maritime weather.

These old metal floats/buoys have an interesting history. They were originally fabricated in WWII and used for mooring convoy ships before they carried supplies to Britain. They also held up the submarine nets that protected our harbors. More recently, they were utilized by the aquaculture industry to anchor cage sites.

While it may not be the world's largest golf ball (apparently that designation belongs to a ball residing in Taylor, B.C. ), it's still pretty big and will hopefully serve its owner well :)

This isn't the first metal float painted by Geoff. You may remember another one on display at Kingsbrae Garden a few years ago. That one now lives at our studio.

If you happen to spot one of these metal buoys washed up on shore - contact us and we will put it to good use.

Have a creative day!

The art of family

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

Everyone was hard at work at Jarea Art Studio this weekend -- inside, outside, upstairs and downstairs.

Geoff was outside, putting the finishing touches on a giant golf ball he is painting for a local golf course. Jan was in the basement, searching through her stash of found objects --  arranging bits of wood and stone into a large-scale folk art construction. I was in the studio, painting a new abstract inspired by the trees, rocks and water found just outside our door. Meanwhile, the littlest one was busy with her pirate treasure sandbox.

I have a feeling, today is going to look a little bit like yesterday and really, I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

The buoy tree

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

This past winter, Geoff found a terrific driftwood post washed up on the shores of our beach. Meanwhile, a Mother's Day basement clean-up unearthed a large collection of buoys  - some  found on beach walks, others scored by Jan some years ago at a Kiwanis Club auction.

While working on the outside of our new studio property, Geoff had the idea to place the pole next to our door and attach as many buoys to it as he could fit.

Ladies and gentlemen... behold, the buoy tree. Now this place is really starting to feel like home. :)

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...