Boardies® talks with Cornwall based artist, Clara Jonas

This season, Boardies® has collaborated with local Cornwall artist, Clara Jonas on designing some distinctive swimwear and apparel pieces, after a meeting in Newquay, UK's hottest surf town.

1.  We first saw your work at Watergate Bay in Newquay UK. How did that project come about?

I was approached to do a logo for the shipping container pizza spot next to Watergate bay, and thrilled to be given creative freedom to create something playful and bold. I think they were pretty happy with the logo, so this swiftly developed into a mural job for the sides of the containers! I had done smaller mural work before, but this project definitely pushed me and I almost bit off more than I could chew… The corrugation of the metal, the proximity to the road, the height of the containers… It was a serious challenge, physically taxing and took longer than I originally thought, but I think we were all super pleased with how it turned out, and now it feels like a bright fixture of Watergate!

2. Tell us about your journey as an artist, where did it all begin?

I started off doing sign writing for the cafes that I worked in when I was 15/16, and during college / university I landed a couple of small freelance jobs creating illustrative designs for other designers. Then I was asked to create some work for Wavelength Magazine which felt like it really propelled things forward. I attended Falmouth university, and I then started doing a lot of illustrative work for businesses and folks around Cornwall; often through connections made in the surf! I was lucky and rode a bit of an instagram wave of success through university and just after, that definitely impacted my uni work haha. I worked as a graphic designer intern for RVCA in southwest France after graduation for a few months which was brilliant, but my freelance work was doing really well so I made the choice to go completely full time with that and haven’t looked back! (Apart from the occasional creative/self-employed existential crisis here and there). My work has definitely shifted and developed beyond my original niche, but the inspiration and love of the freelance artist / designer lifestyle is still at the core of it all, with the freedom to surf shaping a lot of my decisions through the years…

3.  How important is nature to your art and where else do you draw inspiration from?

The sense of connection that surfing has brought to my life is very much at the core of my work, and within that the connection with wider nature as well as my inner landscapes. Like many of us, I have a deep appreciation of the beautiful lands and oceans we live with, and this definitely finds its way into my creations, in both literal and abstract ways. For me, a slow lifestyle that allows for those profound moments of appreciation for the sun on the morning waves, or the birdsong in the trees, creates space for inspiration to bloom. I also am really drawn to ancient mythologies and folklore that contain so much rich imagery and beauty, that I love to interpret through a contemporary lens. Being multi-faceted in my creative explorations allows for these inspirations to flow in and out and produce the unexpected, which allows me to continue developing creatively. 

4.  Where are your favourite places to swim and surf in Cornwall?

Different waves and beaches for different moods! But on a perfect late spring / early summer day when the wind is light, I often find myself in the waves over at Penhale or Crantock, forever attempting to find the quietest spot! I also enjoy the high tides little coves around Polzeath for relaxed evening swims. In the last couple of years I’ve also ventured to Bodmin moor to find little swimming holes away from the beach crowds. When I have time on my side and no deadlines I try to get down to the depths of West Penwith, or perch on a rock somewhere on the Helford river near Falmouth for an almost European swimming afternoon. I try to mix it up to make sure I stoke that sense of adventure!