Residencies

Artists Annie Sloan and Rose Fulbright Collaborate to
Bring New Life to Portmeirion furniture in Transformative Showcase

Redecorated Furniture Designs to Display in The Dome at Portmeirion from May 2024

A rare and symbiotic collaboration of creative skill will be showcased this spring as decorative painting expert, Annie Sloan CBE, and renowned decorative artist, Rose Fulbright, display furniture taken from the Portmeirion stores that has been given a new life through their combined talents. The pieces will be on display at The Dome in Portmeirion Village from May to October 2024.

The collaboration took part with the support of the Susan Williams-Ellis Foundation at Plas Brondanw. Annie Sloan, inventor of the revolutionary furniture paint, Chalk Paint™, decorating two items, and also providing all the materials for Rose Fulbright to rejuvenate vintage furniture from the Village hotel and cottages. Named by British Vogue as The Girl Born to Design, Rose has a deep and profound connection to the Welsh village. “I was raised in a particularly artistic family,” said Rose, whose great-grandfather, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, was the architect of Portmeirion, and whose grandmother, Susan Williams-Ellis, later founded Portmeirion Pottery.

Rose imbued the pieces with her own feelings and memories of Portmeirion - producing an unusual range, with a distinct Portmeirion feeling. Rhododendrons from the woods, ribbons and trees over the Estuary all feature in her work.

“Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paints are my favourite for painting antique and vintage furniture. I love the range of colours and how they are specifically made for colour mixing. The Chalk Paint Wax and Gloss Lacquer finishes elevate my pieces, giving a feeling of true quality,” said Rose, who currently lives in London and, since 2022, has been focusing on large, themed collections of paintings, painted antique furniture and fabrics.

“This project will reflect so much of my family and my upbringing. Annie is a very thoughtful decorative painter, and she understands the importance of heritage in this work.”

For Annie, who runs her family business, Annie Sloan Interiors, from her paint factory in Oxford, the collaboration was also a perfect match, given her passion for creativity partnered with a desire to help the environment. “I am delighted to be part of this project because I love Portmeirion and all it stands for,” Annie said. “You don’t expect suddenly to see all these Italianate style houses painted in wonderful bright colours in North Wales. It’s truly unique.”

Annie Sloan was awarded the CBE in 2023 for services to Interior Design.

Items by Rose and Annie will be on display (prices on request) at The Dome in Portmeirion Village from May to October 2024.

Steph Renshaw

April and August 2024 - Plas Brondanw

Steph Renshaw is a Bristol based printmaker. She uses traditional, intaglio and relief printing methods to create intriguing and tactile art work inspired by wildlife and interaction with the natural world. Steph’s work strikes a balance between realism and the constraints or unexpected outcomes of the print process.

In her collagraphs she exploits the versatility and experimental nature of the medium which she combines with drypoint to make intriguing and tactile prints full of depth and texture. Her linocuts combine realism with inventive mark making to create striking images offering snapshots of the natural world.

Steph has been visiting Snowdonia since childhood, forging close emotional ties with the landscape and wildlife there. She has a fascination and love of natural history, having completed a degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Aberystwyth. She is drawn to the underwater art that Susan Williams-Ellis made. Therefore the basis of Steph’s work during her residency will be inspired by the beautiful, natural surroundings with a particular focus on water in the environment. Steph hopes to follow Susans’s example and fully immerse herself in these environments where possible. She will document in print, the natural forms and colours found there. Steph seeks to include her own human experience in her art work, expressing a sense of place in, and connection with, the natural world.