Second Wind

The term chalk paint describes how the paint looks on walls, decorative items, and furniture: a chalky, matte finish that can easily be distressed to give pieces a country look, or they can be sealed with a waxy finish that gives items a more formal look. Chalk paint is different than chalkboard paint, which can be written on like the old chalkboards from schools when my generation was growing up.

Chalk paint was first invented by artist Annie Sloan in 1990, and its greatest feature is that it can be used on most any surface indoor or out and rarely requires any preparation like sanding or priming. Sloan's website provides a lot of ideas, tips, and techniques for chalk painting. After her original idea became popular, many other chalk paint products came on the market, along with many more ideas.

 

My dear friends, Mary and Anna Jenkins, a mother/daughter team from Alice, Texas, transformed a number of ho-hum pieces of used furniture and decorative items into colorful statement pieces. Most of the gallery are things that Mary painted and photographed, along with several that Anna tackled, and they all look great. Anna also created the photo collages.  

 

Click on the big picture to start the slide show.