A bit of whimsy, a bit of camp, a bit of 50’s and 60’s poster art – another colourful mural has gone up in Sturgeon Falls. On the east wall of Chez Nous Cafeteria, a building owned by Martin Kolditz, a tribute to tasty fast food treats, a bit of tongue-in-cheek good humour and fabulous colours has been put together by Jenn Jedynak. It’s a joyful piece, and has already inspired a dance video performance in front of it!
“It’s done!” said the artist who doesn’t think of herself as an artist. “Gayle [Primeau] contacted me and asked if I would do it because I post, I guess, little crafty projects that I do. She saw them. I’ve never done anything this scale, or art in general – never taken any art courses. I was a little bit nervous when she asked me and I wasn’t confident that I could pull something of this size off.”
Jedynak worked with Primeau and Kolditz to come up with a vision, “A bunch of colourful food. At first I was a bit concerned because it’s not food they serve there [at Chez Nous].” But Jedynak says the piece is not advertisement; it’s art, a mural designed to be eye-catching and grab attention, “Which it totally does, because so many colours and so bright!”
Jedynak worked in studio space provided by Primeau. “I was in there by myself and it was really nice. The odd time I had a bit of help, my daughter helped with the fingers – I had some trouble there – but most of the time I was alone.” The mural features not only an array of colourful fast foods, but a 50’s-style waitress with a smile holding up a platter in front of stylized sun rays. It’s painted on 2.75 panels of 8×4 plywood, affixed lengthwise to fit the space. The paint was contributed by Sturgeon Falls Home Hardware. Jedynak primed everything twice, and also gave several coatings of sealer to the painting to protect from the elements. It was all new to her. “It was very fun!” She said the project took awhile, and it would have been nice to work from her home in Cache Bay, but the project was done over winter and she didn’t have a garage.
