Janovic’s summer paint and window treatment promotion got off to a (literal) flying start. Action painter Brian Olsen performed some of his famous celebrity portraits on the Broadway sidewalk, right across from Lincoln Center. Brian normally works with regular house paint but for this series used twelve colors of Benjamin Moore Aura™ paint exclusively.
 
When Brian paints, the paint literally flies onto the canvas and an area of the sidewalk had to be cordoned off to avoid spectators getting spattered! The combination of loud rock music and Brian’s dynamic technique combine to draw a crowd instantly, and people stare with amazement as a giant portrait of a rock star takes shape almost magically amid a blur of brushes, bare hands and flying paint. In the time it takes to play two songs, an uncanny likeness of the singer appears and the breathless, paint-covered artist takes a bow to rapturous applause.
 
What I particularly liked about Brian’s performance is the sense of freedom and fearlessness with paint and color that his work embodies. As Senior Color Consultant at Janovic I see a lot of trepidation and nervousness in the color selection and painting process. While I do as much as I can to lighten this burden and try to help customers see paint selection as fun rather than daunting, I’m sure it would be liberating for many people to see this performance and absorb some of Brian’s obvious joy in paint and color. What better way could there be to encourage adventure in color than throwing paint at a canvas and having it magically turn into a work of art?
 
It was also interesting to see how he combines so many bright, vivid colors into a portrait without resorting to the subtle hues that one would expect to need in rendering a face.  Maybe we too can achieve interesting effects in a home with dashes of color that balance one another instead of sticking to the safety of beige and off-white. Basically, I feel that anything that gets the mind thinking about these issues is very positive and a great way to inspire our customers.
 
I got to speak to Brian between performances and asked him how he liked working with Aura compared to regular paint. His response was such a perfect sound bite that I wished I’d been recording it! In essence, he was super-impressed with the color density and the hiding properties. He said he’d never experienced paint like it and it made it much easier to quickly cover the canvas, even when painting with his bare hands.  He also found Aura’s quicker drying characteristic helpful, as colors did not run into each other so much. It just sounded much better coming from him directly!
 
Brian will be back to do more shows in September and in the meantime the promotional festivities continue through the summer with two appearances by star decorator Doug Wilson at New York street fairs. Doug is best known for his appearances on Trading Spaces and will be available to advise you with design ideas on the spot. Janovic representatives will also be roaming with free offers at all events.
 

Paul Mutimear