In Conversation with Artist and Muralist Adriana Jaros

Interior mural at a private home in Richmond, London – see the end of this article for colours used

Whether they’re gracing private spaces, public places or the glossy pages of interiors magazines, Adriana Jaros’ dreamy abstract installations all have one thing in common: a masterful use of colour. We chatted with Adriana about the transformative power of murals, the emotive possibilities of combining colours, and her first experience of Farrow & Ball.

How do you go about choosing the colours for a project?

I research in depth about each project and what it wants to convey – what its main values and objectives are. I then go into a very exhaustive hunt and research for a colour palette that can reflect these values. Having said that, there are colours that I always find myself returning to, like a place of comfort. I am pretty obsessive about colour, I must admit, and I intend to create atmospheric immersive experiences or worlds through colours with my language and processes.

Do you prefer working with bright, high-contrast colours or more subtle palettes? 

It really depends and changes with each brief and project. I tend to like and be drawn to very unusual colour combinations that merge subtle shades with hints of darker and more contrasting hues. There is something quite magical about mixing pastel shades with deep earthy tones, too.

If you could only work in shades of one colour, what would it be and why?

Ahh this is such a hard question! My answer would change daily if I am honest. I would be heavily influenced by my mood and mental state, even by the weather. If I was to answer it today, at the moment, I am challenging myself and exploring with more neutral colours and shades like amber and ochre. I really enjoy the depth and reference from nature these colours and hues can have – I find them really grounding.

“There are colours that I always find myself returning to, like a place of comfort.

Where did your relationship with Farrow & Ball paint start, and what do you like most about it?

I have always been drawn to colour, perhaps due to my upbringing in Venezuela, a country where the sun light truly bounces out of every single surface. When moving to London I reckon I was craving more colour or perhaps just more light. I noticed a mural and exhibition by Farrow & Ball for one of the editions of London Design Festival in front of the CitizenM hotel in Shoreditch and I thought – YES!

The colour palette was used in such an extraordinary way and they were also telling a story and having a real narrative for each hue and colour. It truly resonated with me and the way of portraying and understanding colour. I also really love the names for each shade, they have such a nostalgic tone to them – they are fantastic!

You recently worked on the Elle Decoration Apartment alongside our very own Patrick O’Donnell, who chose the paint colours – what was that experience like?

It was such a pleasure to have been able to create this artwork for Elle Decoration Apartment with Farrow & Ball paints. I was commissioned by Laura Fulmine from Modern Art Hire and Ben Spriggs from Elle Decoration to create an abstract design and choose a neutral yet vibrant Farrow & Ball colour palette.

The whole project and experience were an absolute pleasure for me, from designing it to hand painting it. The matt finish of your Estate Emulsion paints has a depth and materiality that it is truly hard to represent or translate on pictures, and the impact of a mural and how this can transform a space was really present on this very special project.

How do you use colour to evoke certain emotions or create a particular sensory experience?

I find that colours are equal to emotions and their interaction can evoke very intimate moments of connectivity, creating an atmosphere with the power to transform our state of mind. Much like a piece of music, there is a vibrancy to each hue and colour, and this can take us back to a memory, a moment in time or invite us to create new experiences. 

There is also the element of context when working with colour and using it in an unusual way. This is what gives me the most pleasure, and what I have found surprises the spectator the most, makes them question and look within and hopefully feel something. 

Which artists or artistic movements have inspired you the most?

This is also a really hard question to answer, and I am sure I am going to miss many names, but I will do my best.

Some of my all-time favourite artists are architects Gio Ponti and Lina Bo Bardi; artists Egon Schiele, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Olafur Eliasson; sculptors Barbara Hepworth, Pierre Székely, and Pedro Reyes; textile artist Anni Albers and her husband Joseph Albers; woodworker JB Blunk; musicians Devendra Banhart and Sufjan Stevens; filmmaker Luca Guadagnino – among so many others.

I find that I can keep on adding names ad infinitum. So much and so many things can be inspiring, even the most mundane of objects or moments, if you are in the right mindset.

“So many things can be inspiring, even the most mundane of objects or moments, if you are in the right mindset.

How does the experience of creating a mural compare to the creation of your smaller-scale pieces, like digital prints and paintings?

These are such different processes and hence very different results. The potency of charging a space with a mural design is like no other I have ever experienced. The way it affects people inhabiting the space – it is really hard to describe but, if I was to try with one word, I would say it is transformative. 

I think murals have been a favourite medium lately because of the scale and impact they can have on urban and interior landscapes. Murals can transform a space into an experience, and this is something that humans will always crave: unique moments of connectivity. A mural can also make the space sing with a very unique voice. They have the power to make a space feel individual and recognisable.