Arts Alive San Antonio

By JANIS TURK, Contributing Writer

“I see color everywhere,” says painter, designer, and Master Colourist Sam Ehrlich of Keepers Interiors of Seguin, “I experience color in everything: sounds, tastes, smells, sights. All color has meaning, and all meaning has color.”

Standing in his art studio at the back of Keepers, the home décor store Ehrlich and his wife Amber own and run in this charming small town, you are indeed surrounded by color.

Paint, fabric, furniture, and creative design projects are everywhere in the color-splashed space, scattered with remnant paints, gold and silver tubes of wax, clean new paint cans, and jars holding dozens of well-worn paint brushes in sizes tiny to large. On canvas drop-cloths covering the floor stand new and antique furniture pieces Ehrlich will breathe new life into: pieces of the past he will artistically turn into new masterpieces awash in bright colors, like Napoleon Blue, Amsterdam Green, or Duck Egg. Paint is haphazardly splattered on tables, walls, and floors, though it’s not a mess—it’s a place of possibility and fun. Working on commissioned pieces as well as furniture for the store itself, Ehrlich draws design inspiration found in the colors of nature, natural textiles, and even old magazine clippings. Color is his world.

Perhaps that’s because Ehrlich is a “synesthete”: someone with a wonderful but rare neurological condition called synesthesia, which some artists, including Vincent Van Gogh, may have experienced. Synesthisia occurs when the stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads a person to envision a certain color. No, Ehrlich doesn’t see auras or anything supernatural; rather, certain things simply evoke specific colors.

“I associate color to music, numbers, dates, animals, moods, and even people,” says Ehrlich. “Color impacts mood. Color creates community. Color connects people. It’s is my world. I think and I dream in color.”

It’s then hardly surprising that Ehrlich would make his life’s work a study of color as a fine art painter, furniture restoration specialist, and designer of interior spaces.  Keeper’s Interiors offers home furnishings, casual yet elegant decor, and traditional and modern art. The store also offers interior design services.

“A recent client living on Lake McQueeney found that her furnishings, a collection of generational pieces, no longer matched her retired lifestyle,” recalls Ehrlich. “So, the client and I worked hand in hand to develop a design scheme with colors she loved. Now her dining room delightfully draws the eye from the entryway into the house. The dining table, chairs, buffet, and wall art are now completely reimagined art pieces themselves, with hues and tones that create a balance within the blues and greens of the serene natural lakeside setting. I didn’t want to detract from the gorgeous views of the Guadalupe River, so I made sure to bring the outdoor beauty in and incorporate it seamlessly into the space.”

“I coordinate both color and design with each client, whether in person or from an inspiration the client brings to me,” he explains. “I enjoy going in their homes, learning their preferences, seeing their own style, and getting to know them and what they want. That’s the only way I know what colors and textiles will turn their home into their own masterpiece. A lot of people have a vision but don’t know how to implement it. Sometimes they need someone to help them envision an old space in a new way. It’s a pleasure to work with the homeowners. We often become good friends and work together over the years. My work can be seen in homes in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Indiana, Montana, and even in in Oxford, England,” says Ehrlich.

In his art studio at Keepers, Ehrlich also offers classes, live-streams tutorials, and hands-on workshops. In addition, he is also a “stockist” for Annie Sloan’s signature line of Chalk Paint®.

Painting before he could speak, Ehrlich has always worked with color, utilizing various media, creating interesting textiles, furnishings, wall coverings, tiles, stencils, upholstery, acrylic and watercolor paintings, and more. However, he has also developed an interest in the rudiments of color, specifically in natural pigments and complex color and hue combinations, thanks to the tutelage of Annie Sloan, the inventor of Chalk Paint in Oxford, England.

After earning the distinction of Master Colourist in the UK, Ehrlich brought his knowledge of Sloan’s specialized and highly pigmented matte paint to Texas. In recent years, Chalk Paint has become all the rage among DYI project lovers, and Ehrlich is often the guy Chalk Paint fans turn to for advice after they run out of YouTube videos to watch on the subject.

So, what exactly is Chalk Paint? Does it contain chalk? No. Is it chalkboard paint?  Absolutely not.

Chalk Paint was created and registered as a trademark by the company Annie Sloan in 1990. Founder of her eponymous business, Sloan had been seeking paint projects requiring less preparation (doing away with sanding altogether, for example) and a paint with which it would be easier to work. When she couldn’t find a product that suited her needs, she created one.

Over the next several decades, her formula was honed so the paint would adhere to just about any surface and require little to no preparation (besides a light cleaning). It doesn’t require sanding or priming, yet it works on glass, pottery, wood, metal, and fabric. As it’s so forgiving, it’s a good option for novice DIY-ers. It can even be used on floors and cabinetry and for stenciling, too. A wax rubbed finish gives it a solid finish and refined look. Chalk Paint doesn’t contain black pigment, so the colors can be mixed without becoming dull or muddy.

Another popular way to use Chalk Paint is to create a two-or-three-layer color or distress. After a base coat dries, apply another color; then simply rub, sand, or wipe gently along the top layer of paint, so the primary layer of paint color is subtly evident.

Ehrlich used this technique when he recently hand-painted an antique buffet for a client. Using the base color of Graphite, he free-hand decorating it with a massive three-dimensional trompe l’oeil leaf using specially mixed hues of white and cream colors. He followed that up with layers of both clear and dark wax. To produce the final effect, he rubbed away some of the darker wax until the surface had a smooth, glossy multidimensional quality. He also employed the same technique on a petite pink antique dressing table. The results were “pure dead brilliant,” as they say in the U.K.

Sloan’s first book, “The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques,” published in 1988, shares these and other such paint tips and secrets. As the charismatic founder of a highly successful business, Sloan published 26 books on paint effects, color, and interior design. Look in bookstores for her coffee-table style book/magazine, “The Colourist,” in which Ehrlich’s handiwork has also been featured.

“Like Annie, who’s been at this longer of course, I’ve been ‘upscaling’ ugly furniture for about 12 years,” says Ehrlich, “but it was only about eight years ago that I first went to study in Oxford, England, under Annie. It was life-changing. I learned so much. Now my furniture restoration and painting has taken on an entirely new ease.”

Ehrlich may find a Louis XVI chair, a Victorian settee, or a mid-century bench and give it new life through Chalk Paint and new fabric, or he may even Chalk Paint over the original upholstery.

“It feels a little chalky when dry with its matte finish, but there’s no actual chalk in it. It’s essentially a highest-quality pigment water-based paint,” says Ehrlich. “All earthy raw natural pigment has the look and feel of fine chalk or dried powdery clay.”

“With a palate of 42 shades of Chalk Paint, I’m able to mix paints to achieve any color or hue,” says the artist-craftsman. As a trained colourist, he can near-perfectly match the color of almost anything just by looking at it.

“I especially love painting old furniture. I never try to mask the imperfections in a well-used, well-loved piece. I call such nicks and scratches ‘life marks’ and incorporate them into the finished piece. Each tells a story, and I honor that history. Some folks are afraid to paint grandma’s old rocker or dresser, so they live with its drab original color, even if it’s ugly. But I encourage them to paint it and make it beautiful; if they still don’t like it, simply paint over it,” says Ehrlich. “I promise: Grandma won’t mind. By painting something old, it fits in your world and conveys your personality while still esteeming its past owner.”

But Ehrlich doesn’t limit his work to canvases or furniture; he’ll paint anything that isn’t nailed down (and even some things that are).

“I’ve taken a mounted deer head and painted it bright Capri Pink,” says Ehrlich. “I especially enjoy painting things people don’t see as art, creating an opportunity for them to experience the unexpected and explore new ways of seeing the world.”

“Chalk Paint takes paint back to what it originally was hundreds of years ago without oil and latex, drawing from natural pigments found in the earth. It’s really quite remarkable,” says Ehrlich.

Wall paint in Chalk Paint makes its United States debut this month (February 2022), creating a larger canvas for the art that Ehrlich brings to the homes he and Amber design and decorate for clients.

Ehrlich has also contributed to the popular Double D® Ranch catalog, which is well-known for its high-end classic Western ranch wear and Southwestern-inspired clothing lines, but it also offers custom-made furnishings and home décor. “I love working with Double D.,” he noted. “Colors of the Southwest that I’ve used in my creations for them celebrate the raw beauty of rugged, rose-hued, rock canyons set against turquoise skies and blood orange sunsets. Those colors are so tranquil.”

 “Because I think in color, I know which colors calm and inspire. The mental process of painting is cathartic… almost Zen. It’s part of my daily self-care ritual. Whether for my clients or myself, I must paint. If I haven’t done something with paint at least once daily, I don’t feel whole, so I paint every day of my life.”
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To learn more about painter Sam Ehrlich’s work, visit Keepers Interiors in Seguin, where Annie Sloan paint is stocked and used. To sign up for classes & workshops go to www.keepersinteriors.com.