What is blue and green and ready for creativity?

Our office/studio is nearing completion. What I mean by this is that we have floors, we have lights, we have desks and we have all of our junk assembled in one place. [You may remember how it looked a month or so ago]. As the upcoming days and weeks go by, we will be busy getting our stuff in order so we can be as productive as we can be.

For the floors, we went with an ocean blue laminate from Germany. Our green desktops are courtesy of Ikea as are the white storage units, the wooden boxes, the baskets... you get the picture.

This is where it all happens folks.

Once step closer to organized.

Kid friendly, of course.

These photos were taken before additional worktables arrived. Also, you will notice that our walls are freakishly empty. Stay tuned for more updates.

Meanwhile, the big studio (aka Geoff's room) is getting closer to completion as well. Soon, it will even have walls. Just imagine...

~Andrea

Jarea Art in Coastal Living Magazine

At Jarea Art Studio, we love surprises - which is why we were so thrilled with the discovery that our little studio was included in a recent Coastal Living magazine feature.

The article focuses on a number of small towns located along the Bay of Fundy coast. The St. Andrews section begins with...

"This quaint seaside town erupts in a fall kaleidoscope of red, silver, and gold. Follow the treelined roads to the harbor on Water Street and shop for Greek sailor caps in Boutique La Baleine, crocheted scarves in Cottage Craft, homemade fudge in Scrooge & Marley’s, and local paintings at Jarea Art Studio."

We are so honored.

You can read the full article here:
http://www.magazine.org/asme/magazine_awards/2011-nma-pdfs/10-FeaturePhoto/coastalliving1359.pdf

Now that's what we call quality (floorcloths)

The owner of this floorcloth, just emailed us to let us know that her floorcloth looks as good today as it did when she first commissioned it -- 14 years ago!

Back then, this floorcloth appeared in a Good Housekeeping special interest publication called, Do It Yourself.

So thrilled to hear it has stood the test of time :)


For more on our floorcloths, visit: Jarea Art Studio Floorcloths at www.jareaart.com/floorcloths.shtml

~Andrea

Building a Dream (Home Office)

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

Our first home studio was in the basement of our house. It wasn't pretty, but it was workable. And the dog liked it.

Jantje, Andrea and Bodie - the wonder dog.

That was two moves and more than 15 years ago. Since then, our home offices and studios have been located in a number of spaces - from a dining room and a front hall, to a bedroom and currently, another basement.

Meanwhile, through the years, we've also been lucky enough to find locations away from home to use as work spaces. One in particular was really pretty dreamy.

 

Still, we always hoped for the ideal studio / office space in our own home. So, In our most recent house, Geoff and my dad revived a sagging shed to create a wonderful, bright space.

It also did double duty as a playroom and storage zone and was never quite large enough.

Fast forward to today. Geoff has been busy building a new house since November and we are scheduled to move in by the end of this month. It has the usual stuff - a kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and a living room. But what makes this house so special, is the fact that it is a home built for (and by) artists. Not only will there be two dedicated studios, but also an office/small studio room. It doesn't look like much - yet. But it will.

Here's a sneak peek.

Studying Geoff Slater

Here's some exciting news...

Students from around the globe are learning about Geoff and his line painting technique. Some are even creating works of art in his style.

Artwork created by grade 5 students from Richardson Elementary School (in the style of Geoff Slater)

Some examples:

In Otter Lake, Minnesota

This project will challenge students to create a scene using one continuous line.  Students will learn how line can create shape and depth, and infer movement and texture in a composition.  The work of Geoff Slater, a contemporary artist, will be discussed.

http://otterlakeartintheclassroom.wordpress.com/third-grade/

In Bountiful, Utah at the Quick Cricket Preschool

After a yummy snack and some play time, we introduced Geoff Slater, a modern artist who lives in New Brunswick.  Check out his website at geoffslater.com.  He paints beautiful pictures of things he sees outside using a techniques called 'Amaze Art' that uses one continuous line to paint a picture.  Our study of line and preparation to study shape was really enhanced by looking at his art and trying to make one ourselves.  It is hard to leave space between lines like he does!  It really is Amaze-ing!

http://thequickcricket.blogspot.com/2011/09/island-life.html

In Attica, New York at the Attica Middle School

During sixth grade, our students begin to really focus on the concept of design. Projects concepts include symmetry and radial symmetry, using a grid system and composition. Our students really hone down on their craftsmanship skills at this level. Some artists discussed in class include Geoff Slater, Leonardo Da Vinci and Grant Wood, and we divulge more into color theory in order to prepare the students for upper level middle school art. 

http://www.atticacsd.org/webpages/hmazzuto/sixth_grade.cfm

In Wilmington, North Carolina

We will also be examining how the lines create geometric, free form and organic shapes. Some of the artists we will be talking about are: the use of lines by Geoff Slater, the repetition of geometric shapes by Joseph Kyle, and the implied texture of Albrecht Durer.

http://minimonets.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/starts-monday-912/

In Fort Madison, Iowa at Richardson Elementary School

Grade 5 students created artwork based on Geoff Slater's paintings.  

http://sites.google.com/site/explorerichardsonart/art-gallery/4th-grade-art/quarter1artprojects

In Gorham, New Hampshire at the Family Resrouce Centre

Students learned about Geoff Slater and his artwork after studying line.

http://www.family-resource-center.org/images/uploads/image/GASPNovemberCalendar%2710.pdf

In Rensselaer, Indiana at the Carnegie Center

Students learned about Geoff Slater’s “Amaze Art” and used a single line to create a beautiful flower.

http://prairieartscouncil.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/rensselaer-workshops-friday.pdf


Have you studied Geoff? Let us know!

Jantje's Art in the Telegraph Journal

Jantje had a nice Christmas gift this year --- her work was chosen to be included in a special holiday edition of the Salon section of the Telegraph Journal.

The theme was holiday literature and Jantje's piece was featured alongside stories by Jo-Anne Elder and Kathie Goggin.

Here's how it looked in the paper...

 

And, here's a link to the online version: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/salon/article/1465886

Meanwhile, we are all busy planning our new works of art for next year. Also, a brand new Jarea Art Studio website is in the works. And, we continue to build our Etsy shop.

Best wishes to all for a Happy New Year :)

Andrea, Jan(tje) and Geoff

Geoff's Prints - Now on Etsy

We finally got around to adding Geoff's prints of St. Andrews to our Etsy shop -- just in time for the holidays :)

These are delightful reproductions of Geoff's original watercolor paintings. There are eighteen all together and they can be purchased for just $15.00.

You can find them at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jareaart?section_id=10757991

 

Next, we will be adding some wonderful images created by Jackie Guthrie. Stay tuned...

~Andrea