Portrait of an Artist: Anna & Scott Sadler

Anna and Scott Sadler

I’ve been a long-time subscriber to Phoenix Home & Garden magazine and a few years ago read a feature about husband-and-wife team Anna and Scott Sadler. I thought “How incredibly talented!”. Then, I saw a profile on them in the Design Amour blog the following year. I thought “How amazingly creative!”. Finally, I came upon Anna on Facebook last year and saw her interactions. Best of all, I thought “What a wonderful, wonderful person.” It is my pleasure today to feature them — not only because of the gorgeous artworks of their company, Arizona-based Surface Refinements, but also because of the genuine warmth they both exude. Let’s join Anna for a chat, yes?

“I like to joke that I was born with a paintbrush in hand! I come from a creative and artistic background; my parents were professional ballerinas and I was always interested in the Arts. I took after my Dad however, so being a tiny prima ballerina like my Mom was not in my destiny! My creative outlet became pencils, a paintbrush, wooden spoons and a mixing bowl,” Anna says. “I grew up in Montreal, but always had the desire to travel the world, which I probably owe to my Hungarian Gypsy roots! Fortunately, I am married to someone who shares the same passions. It usually starts when one of our clients asks us to work on their second homes. It has happened more than once that we have ended up moving to a new city because of a job contract. It’s probably a good thing we have kids, because we have no idea where we might be right now! We have lived and traveled the world and our travels have definitely influenced our work style. Each place we have lived is a part of us.”

Anna amidst the stunning mosaic bath that inspired the aforementioned Design Amour blog profile. It involved metal foil, leaf and metallic paints!

Regina: Speaking of “the world”, you joined Facebook fairly recently…
Anna: We resisted joining Facebook for the longest time! I just thought: Oh no, ONE more thing to do in my 18-hr day? My day starts at around 3:30 a.m., pot of coffee and my computer. If I could find the “off ” switch for my brain, I might get more sleep! I can’t say enough about the daily dose of inspiration we get from all the amazing artists doing all this incredible work around the country. It sure motivates and inspires me to keep creating! I have also been inspired from having lived in the South of France and Italy and experiencing the light, architecture, spaces, art and history of some of the most beautiful cities in the world. It has definitely contributed to our style and taste. Another inspiration was having been chosen to be one of the featured artists in the last Modello by Design book. We were so humbled to have been chosen and been in the company of so many gifted artists!

Regina: Wait. You lived in Italy and France? You MUST tell me about that. Do you speak both languages?
Anna: I do speak fluent French and I spent four months in South America so if you threw me back there or in Spain, I could get by pretty well with Spanish. Italian I can understand quite well, having lived in Monaco and being close to the Italian border and having a lot of Italian clients. That was very helpful. I also studied a bit in Italy and anyways, Italian is a half hand language isn’t it? PLUS, my Dad spoke eight languages fluently, my Mom five, my Dad’s brother 15…so I think there might be something in my genes! I am also pretty good in Hungarian! I love languages, they are such a great way to get to know a culture and its people.

Regina: I’d say! It must provide tremendous inspiration. What else helps jumpstart your creativity?
Anna: I am fascinated with beautiful fabrics, textures, natural stones, precious metals and everything visual! It could be completely unrelated to Art. For example, one of our most beautiful plaster finishes was named after an ice cream flavor: Praline Pecan Swirl! It could be that one little detail on something and that’s where the creative process begins. We are always trying to figure out “How can we do that?” Most of the time, the more complicated the challenge the more we like it! (Well…Scott might argue me on that one !) It’s really about creating that “Wow” and delivering over the top work!

Regina: You’re definitely known for beautiful “Wow!” finishes. For those with clients who seem to only like neutrals, how do you have them embrace bolder techniques?
Anna: Our enthusiasm and presentation is infectious. We do our best to instill confidence and trust that our clients have faith in our experience and knowledge. It’s really something as simple as showing them what they CAN have, that very few people resist. We have a huge portfolio of over the top finishes and after getting a good feel for the taste and personalities of our client, we narrow it down to a few choices of boards that will create that perfect finishing touch that pulls the entire space together. We love finding ways to get as creative as possible using things that shimmer, sparkle and shine — like glass beads, metallic foils, leafing and gorgeous plasters. If we can use these in conjunction with a custom Modello, then its even more spectacular. If the client is somewhat more conservative, then of course, we can still offer a “Wow” finish but it will be more understated. We want to offer something unique and special to them and try hard to never replicate the same finish and pattern. If the client is hesitant, then we suggest a good place to start would be a powder bath as it seems the perfect area to try something bolder.

A little something spectacular...

...and a little something more sedate, but still so visually pleasing.

Regina: Tell me about the biggest misconception about faux finishing that you encounter.
Anna: When clients hear the term “faux finisher”.  Many automatically categorize it as sponging or ragging. It can be very challenging to “educate” some people that what we do is not something one can learn at the Home Depot on a weekend course! Most people have NO concept as to what is involved behind the scenes, starting with the research to create something unique in a finish, what is involved before we even commence the actual work, how many layers, how some of our finishes are so labor intensive and therefore that the pricing reflects that.

Mirror and Glass Works

Regina: I totally agree — the industry has risen to such a sophisticated level. I’m so glad many are striving to change the perceptions! Let’s wrap up on something to also further think about. What’s the best piece of professional advice you have received?
Anna: Find a job you love and you?ll never work a day in your life!

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Ahh, dear Readers. Such beautiful work, no? I trust it was a nice interview for you to read. It’s such a joy to learn about other artists, their backgrounds, how their experiences shaped who they are. The Sadlers have taken what many would have found a bit daunting — a nomadic type of travel from place to place — and made it a wonderful journey that helped evolve their artistry. I find that some people may surprise you with the turns their lives have taken and you come to appreciate and enjoy their company all the more. I hope that has happened today. Thank you, Anna (and you too, Scott!) for taking the time to be with us – may Surface Refinements continue to enjoy success! Have a wonderful weekend, Everyone! Hope to see you Monday!