- By Melena Hagstrom
- Around Town
Print 
The new entrance to the Lansing Library is stunning! The skylight in the middle of the entrance room is decorated with an array of translucent colors of green, yellow, purple, and mineral accents! All these colors combined make a soft tie die effect on the walls.
All this is thanks to Lazure painter Andrea Staffeld, who has been hired by the library through donations to paint the skylight and upper frieze in the new entranceway to the library.
Lazure painting is started on a white background with several translucent coats of acrylics with natural minerals added. The brush strokes are done in a horizontal figure eight motion, making the walls appear alive and breathable. After the painting is finished, it creates a stimulating and soothing space.
This type of painting typically takes anywhere from three to ten coats, but doesn’t take affect until three coats are added. The figure eight motion often leaves a residue from the movement which leads more to the soothing effect to be achieved. The paints are made up of ground up natural minerals added to a clear acrylic medium.
When asked what type of effect she wanted to achieve, Staffeld said that she wanted to tie into the color scheme of the building, which consists of a pumpkin orange color on the lower walls, and a soft lavender on the ceiling. She also said that when she saw the shadows coming in from the skylight, she decided to accent them with the paints. She uses hard and soft hues that she slowly blends together, making noticeable transits from harsh to soft colors.
Staffeld has been Lazure painting for about 8 years. Robert Logsdon was the person she learned from the most, and he was one of the first people to bring Lazure painting to America. Also what inspired her was her trip to Sweden where she visited the Jaerna community. Here all the houses were painted in the Lazure style, which created a beautiful effect, especially viewed at sunrise and sunset.
The Lazure painting is turning out beautifully and it will certainly add to the library’s overall impression!
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