Annie Sloan
Personal Annie Sloan lives and works in Oxford, England with her husband David who runs the business with her. Born in Australia to a Scottish father and a Fijian mother, she came to England to a farming life in Kent when she was ten years old. With spells in Southern Africa and connections to France, Cuba and the US she feels she has world roots. She has three sons all in their twenties and has lived in Oxford for the last twenty five years.
Career Annie Sloan is probably the main reason for the painted furniture revolution through her easy to approach, lively and creative approach to painting. She has a strong desire to communicate and empower people creatively which she does through her books, workshops and paint. She has been painting for over 40 years as well as writing numerous books on the subject. She has made her own very special paint called Chalk Paint specifically designed for furniture, that can also be used on walls and in paintings. Her paint has been made by having a knowledge of paint, pigments and art history. Eighteenth century and early 20th century art is at the heart of Annie’s work.
Painted furniture and interiors came of age in the 18th century with great colourists like Schinkel, Adam and the French Rococo decorators bringing playful and formal classical motifs with colours that were helped by huge developments in chemistry making a wider range of colours available for the first time. The 20th century threw all this up in the air, loosened it all up and introduced art from all over the world from Africa to Oceania. Annie trained as a painter and then worked for many years decorating for clients mainly in and around London and Oxford. Her skills as a painter led her to begin teaching and for many years led a course in Decorative Painting at the Inchbald School of Design.
Books
In 1987 Annie wrote the phenomenally successful book The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques which was followed by over 20 other books on traditional paints, colours and techniques and has led to total sales of well over 2 million books worldwide and in eleven languages. Her last book was the highly successful How to Create the French Look published in April 2008 and a new book called Paint Transformations will be published in April 2010.
About Paint Transformations
Learn how to create inexpensive effects that look like a million dollars—all with a few cans of paint and Annie Sloan’s expert know-how. Her 50 projects introduce the stunning paint finishes and effects that will transform your everyday rooms and furniture into something truly special.
The projects are arranged by technique, beginning with the first chapter, Aging and Distressing, through to Working with the Base, which includes a fabulous lime-washed chair and colorwashed bookcase. Using Color is aglow with vibrant walls, furniture, and floors treated to paint and wax finishes, while Handpainting will give you the confidence to paint motifs freestyle. With Crackle, Gilding, and Découpage, save an old pine table from the junkyard by treating it to a crackle-varnish finish, or try out stenciling by gilding a wall.
Sample Projects from the Book at FaveaCrafts
Paints
Annie developed her now famous Chalk Paint with her factory in Belgium to answer the need she had for a paint which would have many uses from acting like limewash to looking like old painted furniture and that had a good range of colour that could be extended by the user. This paint is very easy to work with and allows people to be creative as one doesn't get involved with the technicalities of preparation and it also allows you to change your mind without hassle. In 2000 she set up her shop in Oxford to showcase her Chalk Paint, run courses, and offer interior design services using her knowledge about colour.
Links
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