The Colourist Issue 4: A celebration of colour!

Hurrah! Today is the launch of the latest issue of The Colourist, Issue 4.

Each issue is very special to me, it represents a time and a place in my life and career and I love looking back at the earlier editions to remind me of the fascinating cities I've visited and the amazing artists I've found along the way. However, I do have to admit that I feel like Issue 4 is that little bit more special... (sorry I know one isn't supposed to have a favourite child) because this is the issue that represents a very special time in my life and career - the 30 year anniversary of Chalk Paint®!



I curate a colour palette for each issue, based on the mood and the feel of the time. The palette for Issue 4 which just so happens to be timed with the start of Spring in the UK, is composed of luscious Lem Lem, grounding Graphite and the origin of Chalk Paint, Old White. Despite the hero of this issue being Old White, you'll find that the 132 pages are jam-packed with colour.



Thirty years! That’s how long it’s been since I started my Chalk Paint® adventure. Back in 1990, the first colour I created was Old White, which is why I’ve chosen white as the theme for this celebratory issue of The Colourist. And, since 30 years is a pearl anniversary, we’re launching something rather appropriate: Pearlescent Glaze. You can turn to page 128 to see how Dominique Malacarne used this beautiful, iridescent colour to create a subtle inlaid bone effect that I know you’ll want to try for yourself.



As this is such a special issue, I’ll be talking a little more personally than I do normally: reflecting, gathering and planning for the future of Annie Sloan Interiors. I’m sharing some stories about how I started this company in my 40s, and talking to other creative women following their passions and starting their own businesses.



I’m thrilled to share more about ‘accidental icon’ Iris Apfel, the fashion, textiles and interior designer who’s famous for being ridiculously stylish, witty and idiosyncratic. And, by the way, she’s in her 90s! We also feature illustrator and designer, Edward Bawden; Roland Penrose and Lee Miller’s surrealist home, Farleys House; a tour of a beautiful Dutch barge; and the home of our past Painter in Residence, Ildiko Horvath.

As ever, you'll find six inspiring step-by-step projects in the back section of the magazine, including a project by Annie Sloan Interiors' very own senior designer, Joanna Lloyd, showing you how to use the free Toile du Jouy-inspired paper pull-out. The toile features scenes from my home city and the home of Chalk Paint® manufacturing, Oxford.



That’s just a taster of what’s in store. I hope you enjoy the issue – it’s been a pleasure putting it together for you. Tag me @AnnieSloanHome on social media with the hashtag #ColouristMag so I can see what you get up to.

Yours, 

Annie. 

Gilded Trunk

I'm so excited finally to introduce my new Gilding Wax. I have lots of inspiring projects to share with you that feature the wax – and I can't wait to see how you use this new product, too!

My Gilding Wax comes in five colours: Warm Gold, Bright Gold, Dark Silver, Bright Silver and Copper. Whatever colour you choose, the wax is perfect for bringing out carvings and details on furniture – or even for doing something a little more adventurous, just like this painted trunk!

This project comes from my son, Felix, who works with me at Annie Sloan HQ and is the co-author on my book 'Room Recipes for Style and Colour'. He transformed this old chest with Chalk Paint® and three Gilding Wax colours. I love the contrast between the Gilding Wax and the rich blues he painted on the chest. The overall look is modern and bohemian.

If you'd like to try this project at home, you will need: 

Chalk Paint® in Aubusson Blue, Florence and Graphite 

Clear Chalk Paint® Wax

Annie Sloan Gilding Wax in Bright Gold, Warm Gold, and Copper

Annie Sloan Pure Bristle Brush
Annie Sloan Wax Brush

Masking Tape

Newspaper

Step One – Using a Pure Bristle Brush, paint your trunk in Aubusson Blue all over, moving the brush in every direction to create a textured finish.  

Step Two – Once the paint has dried, use my frottage technique to create a distressed look. Mix water with Graphite to around the quantity of single cream. Moving quickly, paint an area with this wash and then before it has dried, place a crumpled piece of newspaper over the top. Gently remove the newspaper to reveal the patterned paintwork underneath. Repeat all over the piece. Paint little squares in Florence on the bottom corners of the trunk.

Step Three – Once you are happy with the paint finish, apply a quick coat of Clear Chalk Paint® Wax all over.

Step Four – Use masking tape to mark out your design for gilding. Make sure to gently place the tape down so as to not remove any of your lovely paintwork when you peel it back! 

Step Five – Apply Gilding Wax using a wax brush, working the wax in as you go. You want to create movement in the finish so apply all three wax colours unevenly, highlighting different areas with Copper in some places or Bright Gold in another. Don't be afraid if some of the blue paintwork shows through, you want the overall look to feel aged and distressed. If you have brushed any Gilding Wax in a place you didn't want it to appear, you can use Clear Chalk Paint® Wax as an eraser, applying it over the top and rubbing the excess away.

Step Six – Once the Gilding Wax has dried, carefully remove the masking tape. And there you have it! If you want you extra shine, you can also give the whole surface a light buff the next day.

Has this inspired you to use my Gilding Wax? What will be your first project with this new product? Let me know by using the hashtag #AnnieSloanGildingWaxes and tagging me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @anniesloanhome

Yours,

Annie

Tim Gould's Memory Table

Please join me in giving the wonderful Tim Gould a round of applause. Tim has been working with me for the past few months as one of my Painters in Residence, and today I am sharing the last project created during his residency. Tim has developed a technique using my paint, Chalk Paint® and homemade vinyl stencils to apply text to furniture - to give it a voice of it's own, and to bring out it's real character.

Tim had this table for years, but its glass top had been smashed in an accident and was covered in stains and marks accumulated over the years. But these marks of age and the memories that accompanied them inspired Tim to give this table this wonderful transformation.

To achieve this look, Tim created word and image stencils on a computer, printed them on to vinyl, and applied them to the table surface. (The stencils are actually being used here in a reversed way - the stencil masks the details and shapes (the text and images)). Tim then painted over the table (and the areas that have been masked off with his stencils). To create a patina that looked brimming with history, Tim applied layers of paint - starting with Pure, Emperor's Silk, Provence and finishing with Graphite. He then sanded areas of the paint back to reveal the various colours beneath.

The words and shapes were highlighted by applying Loose Brass Leaf to the area around them. Once dry, Tim carefully peeled back the stencils/ masked areas to expose the letters and shapes.

To finish the piece, Tim covered the legs with Loose Brass Leaf, and then applied my Clear Soft Wax with a little Dark Soft Wax to add depth.

Have you got an old piece of furniture, whose marks of age could be turned in to a feature with a little Chalk Paint®?

Yours, Annie

Follow Tim on Instagram, Facebook, and his website: http://www.objectables.co.uk/

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest

Maison et Objet Paris

Last week I was in Paris for Maison et Objet 2016.  It is *the* big international trade show for interior design, with exhibitors – and visitors – from all over the world.  It’s so exciting, I go once a year to see for myself all the new trends.  Some of the stands are just enormous – I worked out that one was easily twice the size of my house! Often it’s where I’ll find new things for my shop here in Oxford, but this year I had my own stand there, and had a wonderful time meeting with stockists and potential new stockists from across the globe – Hungary to Japan!   (Images below- left: Shiro and Kimie Ito, my distributors in Japan, with Monika Gawinecka - my distributor in Poland. Middle: the Chalk Paint colour wheel. Right: My Spanish distributor, Maria, doing a short demo on the stand.)

I made time to take in what else was going on – I’m so frustrated but, because it is strictly trade only, I’m not allowed to share any of the pictures I took of the other stands with you.  However, I just had to sketch out some of the amazing ways in which people are using colour.  I was incredibly inspired, and – I hope! – you will be, too.

For the past few years, the big story has been white with grey.  I love this pared down look, but somehow it just doesn’t excite me in the way that bold use of colour does, so I’m thrilled to say that this year colour is big and strong!  There were some really powerful statements: red walls, red furniture, strong splashes of bright green and yellows…yellow everywhere!  And, importantly, this wasn’t just in reference to one particular style (e.g. mid-century Modern) but across the range.  Palatial grandeur, warehouse, bohemian (of course!) all infused with the colours I know so well from the Chalk Paint® palette (Emperor’s Silk, Burgundy, Antibes Green, Greek Blue, English Yellow to name but a few).  Barcelona Orange and English Yellow worked particularly well in warehouse settings, especially when paired with Paris Grey, French Linen, Versailles…

I’ve been struggling to come up with a way of describing the colours used, and can only come up with ‘strong florals’ – these aren’t pastels, but instead the strong red of tulips, vivid yellow like daffodils, marigold orange and beautiful cornflower blues.  And in combinations which were striking and somehow exotic.  Here’s a sketch based on a stand I saw which put together Graphite with Emperor's Silk, Antibes Green, Barcelona Orange and English Yellow.

  

Despite this and although colours were generally more dramatic, they were also used to create some more gentle looks.  The ubiquity of white and grey has been refreshed by using colour to replace white - it is now grey with orange, or blues, or yellow.  I saw a fabulous room set made up of soft greys – so relaxing – but with one vibrant orange chair – I love it!! For this look I've used Paris Grey and Barcelona Orange from the Chalk Paint® palette. (See image above.) 

I love seeing pictures of your bold colour statement pieces, keep sharing them with me using #AnnieSloan on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Use @anniesloanhome to tag me too!

Yours, Annie

Jelena Pticek's Striped Chest of Drawers

    

Today I'm sharing the final project from Jelena Pticek, my brilliant Painter in Residence from Toronto, Canada. For this project, Jelena used my paint, Chalk Paint® to give a chest of drawers a modern look with horizontal stripes of colour.

Following the simple lines of the chest of drawers, Jelena used a palette of Graphite, Olive, Duck Egg Blue, French Linen and Antoinette to paint different widths of stripes around the piece. The French Linen and Graphite act as neutrals, keeping the colours balanced and working together.

Jelena applied my Clear Soft Wax, then lightly distressed the moulding on the top drawer. She then sealed the piece with a final coat of Wax.

I hope you've all enjoyed Jelena's worannk as much as I have and have been inspired to add some pattern to your furniture with Chalk Paint®?

Yours, Annie

Follow Jelena on Instagram, Facebook, and her blog: poppyseedliving.blogspot.co.uk/

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.

Jelena Pticek's Scalloped Cabinet

The first project from my Canadian Painter in Residence Jelena Pticek is this fun, contemporary cabinet painted in my paint, Chalk Paint®.

The cabinet came from a friend of Jelena's, who asked her to give the tired piece of furniture a make-over – the cabinet was scratched and beaten, and didn't suit the style of her house. Jelena was given free-reign to work with any technique or style she wanted, but her friend wanted the cabinet to use green as a base colour.

Jelena chose to work with a traditional and sophisticated palette of Olive, Versailles and Country Grey. She created a gradient colour effect by applying the darkest colour – Olive –  to the top section of the cabinet, working down to Versailles, and then Country Grey. To add a modern touch she used scallop shaped masking tape to create an interesting border where two colours met.

Inside the cabinet Jelena used Graphite, which is both neutral, and dramatic. She then finished the piece with my Clear Soft Wax.

Yours, Annie

Follow Jelena on Instagram, Facebook, and their website:http://www.poppyseedcreativeliving.com/

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.

Annie Sloan Wall Paint & Modern Art Oxford

I am a big fan of Modern Art Oxford  (known for short as MAO). It’s a fantastic space and showcase for contemporary art—and it’s free!

Show and tell

Already this year I’ve been bowled over by Love is Enough* in which artist-curator Jeremy Deller interweaves the life stories, art, and printmaking of American pop art icon Andy Warhol with British Arts & Crafts mover and shaker William Morris (below). 

  

I went in thinking ‘it’s ridiculous you can’t compare these two artists’, but I came out inspired by the revealing relationships and strange connections of these two prolific and experimental visionaries. I’ve always thought the role of art is to make to you see life in another way and this is what this exhibition—and MAO achieves—time and again.

And yours truly has also been featured here as an artist (back in 1971), as part of an exhibition where I showed a piece of conceptual art after I left university. I can just about recall my piece featuring plastic pigeons placed all around the exhibition space—can’t remember what it was about though I remember feeling very pleased to be involved with such a cutting-edge establishment that champions innovative and ambitious projects!

The perfect paint backdrop

So imagine my delight as I now return full circle to have my paints featured as part of the fabric of this wonderful art gallery. Yes, MAO have chosen my soon-to-be-launched Annie Sloan Wall Paint to grace its interior spaces.

They’ve gone initially for Paris Grey and Graphite, and will be working with other colours for future exhibitions. This is just the beginning and I am thrilled that MAO has chosen to use my paint because it’s local (I am passionate about supporting local businesses), I have had a long association with the place, and it is an exceptional art gallery. As an artist, I can’t recommend it highly enough if you are visiting our unique city.

Wall to Wall Paint

And my new Wall Paint? Well, it’s incredibly strong: it's durable, washable and scrubbable. I designed it to take the hurly burly of home life—in what modern parlance would call 'high traffic areas' (so the museum is a perfect medium!). It’s ideal for kitchen walls, bathrooms, halls and stairways where my decorative paint, Chalk Paint®, perhaps might not hold up as well with kids knocking things around and where you have to re-clean surfaces time and again because of the wear and tear of family life. 

Like Chalk Paint®, it is a water-based paint and it covers really well. I have made sure my new Wall Paint is rich in quality pigments so you get extensive coverage—as well as a lush depth of colour—with every brushstroke. It’s quick-drying too and has a soft matt finish with a hint of sheen. No prep, no splatter, no fuss.

My new paint is tailor-made for my free and expressive approach to painting: you can brush it on as easily as roll it on to achieve a high-quality finish on walls and ceilings. And now, with MAO’s endorsement, I really feel I’m coming back full circle.

Yours, Annie

* The show is now at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery till 6 September.
** My Wall Paint will be available this summer through Annie Sloan Stockists in Europe.

Karen Donnelly's Painterly Cabinet

For Karen's first project as a Painter in Residence, she used my paint, Chalk Paint®, to paint a sophisticated, tonal landscape on to the cupboard doors of a small cabinet.

Karen started by painting the whole piece in Old Ochre, a faded darkened cream colour, to give her canvas a neutral base, and she chose a muted, limited palette of Old White, Coco and Graphite to create her tonal landscape. For those of you wondering what I mean by painting a tonal landscape, I will explain... The way that we can see one object from the one next to it or behind it is largely due to tonal differences between them. A dark object will stand out clearly against a light one. There can also be colour differences, but tone is one of the most important factors. The easiest way to see tone, and to filter out unwanted details is to squint while you are looking at the object – this cuts out colours and helps you to see black, greys and whites. A tonal painting focuses on these shapes of tones to create an image.

Karen continued the theme inside the cabinet by painting it in Graphite and Coco, and finished the piece in Annie Sloan Soft Clear Wax.

What do you think? Have you ever used Chalk Paint® to paint tonely?

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pictures from Karen's residency and follow her on Facebook.

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.

Agnieszka Krawczyk's Boho Cupboard

I love this second project from Painter in Residence Agnieszka Krawczyk. Agnieszka has used Florence and Graphite – two very strong, rich colours from the Chalk Paint® palette. They work beautifully with the golden wood of the cupboard. 

Agnieszka started the transformation by applying two coats of Florence (one of her favourite colours) to the outside of the cupboard. Distressing each layer using a metal scraper, sandpaper and a putty knife, she revealed areas of the original golden wood beneath. She painted the shelves and interior of the cupboard in Graphite (a soft black that can be darkened with my Dark Soft Wax) and then, once dry, gently sanded the paint back in certain areas. 

To finish the cupboard, Agnieszka applied Annie Sloan Clear Soft Wax all over and, while the wax was still soft, began working Dark Wax into the surface to highlight texture, darken the colours, and adds richness and depth. Agnieszka left the wax to dry without buffing to create a beautiful matt finish. 

I love how Agnieszka has used my Work Book to experiment with her colour combinations and plan this project. How have you used yours?

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pictures from Agnieszka's residency and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and her website: www.beforeandafterblog.pl 

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.