Elizabeth Ann SloanCBE (born 19 June 1949) is a British artist, designer, colour expert, author and inventor. She is the inventor of Chalk Paint, and the CEO of her family-run company, Annie Sloan Interiors.[1]
Sloan's mission is to help people fulfill their creative potential, “everybody is in some way creative – I’m just very keen on helping people find that creativity”,[2] which she seeks to do through her global network of independent stockists, and her teaching.
After studying Fine Art at university in the 1970s,[3] where she was a member of the avant-garde punk band Moody And The Menstruators,[4] Sloan went on to write several books on traditional paints and decorative painting techniques, starting with The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques in 1988.[5] She developed her own line of decorative paint, Chalk Paint, in 1990.[6] She is now considered an international authority on paint and colour and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to interior design.[7]
Early life, education and family
Sloan was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1949 to a Scottish-born father and a Fijian-born mother. It was Sloan's journalist father who inspired her love of the arts by introducing her to the work of the Fauve painter Gauguin.[8]
During her time as a student, Sloan explored her punk and performance art ideals alongside fellow artists and students including Anne Bean in the band Moody and The Menstruators, also known as The Moodies.[10]Malcolm McLaren was interested in signing The Moodies, having seen their performance supporting Pink Floyd, but the band was unwilling to compromise their artistic integrity.
Sloan lives and works in Oxford, England, with her husband, David.[11] They have three sons, including the musician Chad Valley, and three grandchildren. Her cousin is the BBC TV executive Tom Sloan (television executive).
Career
After graduating from university, Sloan worked as an art teacher at various schools in East London from 1973-1977. She also worked for Time Out magazine as their Theatre Editorial Assistant (1973- 1975). It was after this that Sloan turned her attention to decorative painting.[5]
Sloan's first book, The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques, was co-authored with Kate Gwynn and published in 1988. The success of the book launched her career as a decorative paint expert and led to opportunities to teach decorative painting techniques internationally.[12]
Chalk Paint
Sloan went on to develop her own brand of paint, Chalk Paint, in 1990.[13] Drawing on a lifetime of research and experience in working with paint and colour, the invention of Chalk Paint was borne from Sloan's need for a paint which could be used to achieve endless decorative effects – and quickly – without the need to sand or otherwise prepare surfaces before application.[14] Initially, the paint was manufactured in Belgium.
She opened her first shop in Headington, Oxford, in 2000, where she sold her paint, as well as fabrics and ready-painted furniture.[15]
Her book Colour Recipes for Painted Furniture and More was published in 2013.[16] This was followed by Room Recipes for Style and Colour in 2014.[17]
The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques: An Inspirational Sourcebook of Paint Finishes and Interior Decoration, Ebury Press ( ISBN0712619054, 1988)
Nursery Style: Creating Beautiful Rooms for Children, with Felicity Bryan. Contemporary Books ( ISBN0809242826, 1989)
Decorative Decoupage: A Practical Guide, Reader's Digest ( ISBN0762100117, 1998)
The Painted Furniture Sourcebook: Motifs from the Medieval Times to the Present Day, Collins & Brown, ( ISBN1855854686, 1999)
Modern Paint Effects: A Guide to Contemporary Paint Finishes from Inspiration to Technique, Collins & Brown, ( ISBN1855856719, 2000)
Paint Alchemy: Recipes for Making and Adapting Your Own Paint for Home Decorating, Collins & Brown, ( ISBN185585886X, 2001)
How to Paint Furniture, Collins & Brown, ( ISBN1855858819, 2001)
Colour Schemes That Really Work, Collins & Brown ( ISBN1855858061, 2002)
Painted Garden: 25 Easy Outdoor Paint Effects to Transform Any Surface, Laurel Glen Publishing ( ISBN1571459278, 2003)
Painted Kitchen: Paint Effect Transformations for Walls, Cupboards, and Furniture, Laurel Glen Publishing ( ISBN1592231845, 2004)
Complete Book of Decorative Paint Finishes, Collins & Brown, ( ISBN1843400529, 2004)
Quick and Easy Paint Transformations: 50 step-by-step ways to makeover your home for next to nothing, CICO Books ( ISBN1906525757, 2010)
Creating the French Look: Inspirational Ideas and 25 Step-By-Step Projects, CICO Books ( ISBN1907563954, 2011)
The Annie Sloan Work Book: For Your Colour & Paint Ideas & Inspiration, Oxford Folio ( ISBN0956740545, 2012)
Color Recipes for Painted Furniture and More: 40 step-by-step projects to transform your home, CICO Books ( ISBN1908862777, 2013)
Room Recipes for Style and Color, CICO Books ( ISBN1782491546, 2014)
Chalk Paint Workbook: A practical guide to mixing paint and making style choices, CICO Books ( ISBN1782493034, 2015)
Paints Everything: Step-by-step projects for your entire home, from walls, floors, and furniture, to curtains, blinds, pillows, and shades, CICO Books ( ISBN1782493565, 2016)
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