Clara Jonas - Illustrator & Graphic Designer.
Clara Jonas stood on an empty beach, board in hand, looking straight down the barrel of the lens. Her shoulder length hair was blown to one side from a gentle cross shore breeze. It was five am in the morning, we had the beach to ourselves, a rare occurrence on these middle summer days. It was blue hour, a morning light that offers a forgiving texture to a face giving great depth and cinema feel. A look we needed to capture, a look that reflected the work of the creative whose story we’re telling.
Who Is Clara Jonas?
Clara Jonas is a North Cornwall illustrator making waves in the local creative scene. From a collection with H&M to more bespoke work with local charities, Clara was beginning to gain wide recognition as a creative force. Clara’s work depicts powerful women on almost mythic waves accompanied by wild animals and constellations, imagery that deeply reflects surfing’s Hawaiin origins. The act of wave riding was originally a deeply ritualistic activity undertaken by Hawaiin women of almost godlike status, the biggest compliment you could give a man in those times was to say he surfs like a woman. Clara’s resurrection of this old symbolism to modern times is perfectly on the pulse. Her work is both a nod to the beauty and power found within women's surfing and is a reflection of the movements being seen across women in sport globally.
The Client - JUBEL
Jubel Beer began its journey on the slopes of The Alps and aims to promote ‘a life more adventurous’. The beer has become a go to refreshment for those who are looking for a drink with a twist. Jubel’s ethos is about getting people in the sun, on the slopes and in the waves. To celebrate this idea they collaborated with, you guessed it, Clara Jonas, to produce a unique merchandise range that screamed youth, the great outdoors and having fun.
There is a blurred line between Clara’s own personality and the symbolism of the work she creates. A die hard lone traveller and pursuer of an independent path, her illustrations could be mistaken for reflections of Clara herself. This film had to capture all elements of Clara, from sea to studio. We focused on textures and noises, flow and movement. The opening shot of a longboard being dragged across sand was matched with graphite on paper immediately connecting the two art forms she holds dear. We ensured the opening scene introduced movement, from her feet, to the pencil. We set up a set dressed space for the interviews in a studio just outside of St Ages, Cornwall. We placed Clara in the centre of the frame to promote a ‘hero feel’; she was confident & looked in control. In the studio we filmed close ups of her process and work. Just as Clara’s work reflects old school counterculture and symbolism we wanted the film to nod to a nostalgic past. We paired the film with a retro synth and aged the footage with grain and burn.
We shot the entire film in the space of a day as Clara was soon leaving for the South coast of France for a stint working the freelance circuit; we are really happy with the final piece and can’t wait for our next collaboration with Clara Jonas.
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