Architect Bjorn Ollner met Gary Jones while they were both working on a pirate museum in the Bahamas (and if you know Gary, that doesn’t seem like an odd place to find him). Ollner started his career in Sweden designing free-form concrete houses, then moved to Vancouver and got into the film industry, designing futuristic vehicles for a number of well-known feature films.
After meeting Jones, he began using Colormaker products to create artistic concrete floors and wall panels. He’s making tables too, to be used indoors since the dyes and pigments aren’t made to withstand the elements. Here’s what he says about his process:
“I usually work with wet surfaces so the colors can blend like in a watercolor painting. It’s hard to foresee exactly what is going to come out of the process, but that is part of the fun. Also, no piece is like the other one.
“The wet working surface makes for a smooth finish, which is good for a table top. I can see endless possibilities for this type of colorful concrete art — both for floors, walls and furniture. It can work in private homes as well as lobbies, boutiques, hotels and restaurants. We just have to educate the public about the potential and the products available.”
