Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

Nina Deckert succumbed to her battle with cancer on March 14, 2012.

From Mark Golden:  We lost a remarkable person as Nina finally yielded to an illness that took her away so quickly. To all of us who had the great fortune to know Nina, this news leaves in all of us, a hole in a life full of creativity, passion and love cut much too short. After hearing the news of her illness in the fall of 2011, it was assumed that no matter the seriousness or aggressiveness of this illness that Nina, ‘the fighter,’ would overcome this challenge as she had overcome so many challenges before. Nina was a fighter for all of us. My conversations and emails are full of requests from Nina fighting for her customers, fighting for us to continue to be a better and stronger company; challenging all of us to learn more, do more, to be more. It did not matter who she was speaking to, her convictions wouldn’t allow her to back down when she felt she could add value to a relationship or the service she could deliver. Nina was thoughtful and thorough, as was her manner, but it was her passion and care for her colleagues and friends that allowed everyone to so clearly hear her voice. That voice will be missed by us all. To her family and friends, our thoughts and prayers for your strength and courage to be able to move past this time, onto the memories of a beautiful person.

From Nina’s family:  There will be a memorial for Nina Deckert on Saturday, April 14th, 11am-2pm in the Brazilian Room at Tilden Park, Berkeley, CA. You are invited to attend for as long or as short as you are available. We plan to serve light refreshments. This is a casual event and Nina would want you to dress for comfort, whatever that means for you (ok, so maybe no au natural!). There are no planned speeches, just plenty of time to share memories. There will be a showing of her art work at Gruenwald Press in San Francisco in the week before and the day of the memorial. More details for both of these events can be found at www.ninadeckert.com including ways to RSVP.

Zora Sweet Pinney, an art supply industry pioneer passed away March 2nd at her home in Los Angeles, CA. She was 91. Those of us who knew Zora counted on her passion for art materials, an acerbic and penetrating humor as well as straight talk and a relentless honesty. Her store was appropriately named Zora’s, located in the tony Brentwood area of Los Angeles, and was stocked to the gills with unique art products from around the world that had one thing in common; quality.  Her staff was for a time the best in the industry and they were world renowned for their knowledge and dedication to the artists they served. Products were made or broken at Zora’s. She cared little about the memes of a stodgy old art material establishment and made lots of time to help and nurture newcomers with different ideas about serving a changing industry. In the 1990’s Zora and her husband Ed moved the store to Santa Monica. They struggled in the new spot and soon after sold out to Standard Brands Paint who renamed it to fit into their newly created Art Store chain. Most of the original employees drifted away and Zora went on to help create the Namta Essential Resource Guide (ERG) with Spokane Art’s Claudia Myers. In 1995 she was inducted into Namta’s Hall of Fame for her giant influence on the modern American art supply scene. Zora, you will be missed!

Former Search Press sales and marketing lead Susan Kocsis is earning her entrepreneurial chops with a new tailgate party storage box called the Prepster. She has entered WalMart “Get on the Shelf” competition and she would love your vote. Check out her website first luckystarllc.com or view her video here, then vote at her website:

Michaels launches “Craft Masters” Reality Show, a web-based craft competition that kicks off just in time for National Craft Month. Not exactly Project Runway, but there are some funny moments all the same:

Reminder: GOLDEN Spring Promotion — PROVOCATIVE YELLOWS!

Make your purchases while supplies last!

Following right on the heels of the Uncommon Blues promotion is the new GOLDEN Spring promotion — Provocative Yellows! For artists who have a vision for going beyond the ordinary, GOLDEN introduces a 22 ml limited edition set of Provocative Yellows featuring three yellows from the Heavy Body line, each with unique qualities:  Aureolin Hue, Bismuth Vanadate Yellow and Nickel Azo Yellow. Available for Spring only, this set of three extraordinary yellows is sure to pique the curiosity of artists looking for the strength of yellow, while seeking ways to differentiate themselves with something unexpected.

During the promotion, the Provocative Yellows set will be available at a low introductory retail price of $9.99, representing a 29% savings for consumers over open stock.

Designed to generate interest in the full range of yellows offered by GOLDEN, the set will include an informational piece of literature and will be supported by a series of pages on the GOLDEN Web site highlighting all the yellows in the GOLDEN line.

They are sold in case pack quantities only – 6 sets to a case pack. The case pack includes a clip strip for easy merchandising. Sets will be available through May 11, 2012, or while supplies last. The sets (#GD00P76-0) are in stock in the warehouse now, so place your order promptly!

Bonus!  Provocative Yellows is one of four promotions we will be running throughout 2012, so stay tuned for details regarding future opportunities.

Golden Artist Colors
Launches Color Mixing Set Based on Modern Theory

The New Modern Theory Color Mixing Set from GOLDEN provides the ideal starting place as artists begin to assemble their aesthetic approach to colors and painting. Based on a selection of Organic (Modern) pigments, this set allows artists to mix a wide range of remarkably clean and intense color blends that retain their brilliance even in the thinnest wash or glaze. This set provides one of the most complete resources to begin to understand pigments and their mixtures.

The eight color Modern Theory Color Mixing Set contains primarily organic colors that provide a warm and cool selection from each hue space, plus Phthalo Green and Titanium White.

Also included in the set is the Modern Color Mixing Guide, with proportion suggestions to walk the artist though color exploration and the development of color mixtures. This valuable resource illustrates the wide range of modern mixtures that can be achieved using a limited palette of just eight colors.

This new Modern Theory Color Mixing Set (GD912-0) will be available through MacPherson’s starting in late March, so please contact your Golden orMacPherson’s Customer Service Representative if you have any questions.

Just Paint #26 is Now Available Online and in Print

Twenty-six issues of this technical newsletter and Golden is delighted to share its still-continuing dialogue of color!

In this issue, Christopher Farrell, Golden’s Creative Director, shares the significant differences in color ranges possible with commercial printing processes and real paint. Our Director of the GOLDEN Certified Working Artist Program and author, Patti Brady, shares her painterly insights into the new Modern Theory Color Mixing Set (GD912-0) for artists, which takes just the opposite tact from Chris, in working with a limited set of colors to produce an enormous range of mixing colors.

Continuing the color theme, Amy McKinnon, from Golden’s Technical Support team, uncovers the 18 new colors being added to the Williamsburg Handmade Oils line. Ulysses Jackson, from Golden’s Technical Support and Research & Development groups describes the new experimental acrylic products which have always been an exciting jumping off point for artists to test and play. And finally, you get a chance to meet yet another colleague from Golden’s Technical Support team, Lori Wilson, Application Specialist.

To read these articles and much more, go to Just Paint or you can visit justpaint.org, a new web site dedicated to housing all past issues of the Just Paint newsletter and so much more!

If additional printed copies of Just Paint are required for in-store presentation or staff distribution, or if you have any questions about any of the above information, contact your MacPherson’s Sales Representative.

Strathmore Artist Papers™ 2012 Online Workshop Series continues with a new Watercolor Sketching workshop that starts on March 1, 2012. It features experienced art instructor Cathy Johnson using a variety of media and materials to teach and share techniques about how to sketch from life.  The workshop includes instructional videos, downloadable instruction sheets and inspirational tips.

Strathmore 2012 Online Workshops have already attracted over 10,000 students, including many returning from last year’s program. The classroom has been very active since January 1, 2012, the start of the first workshop. Students are already sharing their art with each other, exchanging ideas, and building new friendships. Last year, Strathmore’s 2011 Visual Journal Online Workshops attracted over 8,600 students and earned the NAMTA 2011 Business Innovation Award.

Considering hosting your own in-store workshops? You can use our online workshops to help you develop and customize content. As an example, Spokane Art Supply has embraced the opportunity to inspire customers and grow sales with an active schedule of Mixed Media Workshops.  They educate and engage with potential attendees in store, via their website, Facebook, Blog and Pinterest.

MaryJo McGraw, Spokane Art Supply, shares her insights on creating successful workshops. “Ideas and techniques are based on materials we have in the store consistently, and then I choose other product to display for add-on sales. Customers bring limited supplies, or none at all, making them more likely to buy that night so they are sure to have the product at home. People interested in Mixed Media tend to buy in every category, including framing, which adds to the day’s sales receipts. These artists are also interested in social networking, which makes it easier to see what they are interested in and keep them updated.”

Interested in learning more? Contact your MacPherson’s sales representative for all the tools and information you’ll need to help start planning your own event or workshop. And visit Strathmore Artist Papers at strathmoreartist.com for more information about the 2012 Workshop Series.

It’s here. It’s time to get your Torrit Grey on!

Getting your Torrit Grey
We’ve got 2012 batches of Gamblin Torrit Grey in-stock and ready to order. Gamblin’s Torrit Grey promotion is a fantastic way to engage your community of painters and drive sales.
Gamblin retail partners receive one free tube of Torrit Grey for every three tubes of Gamblin Artist Grade oils purchased. Please add item #GB992670 to your Gamblin order in the appropriate quantity…plus a little extra, if you like. Torrit Grey is available March 1 thru May 31, while supplies last.

Using Torrit Grey to drive sales
Torrit Grey is a great reason for oil painters to come to your store and stock-up on paints, brushes, canvas and other materials. Gamblin suggests offering a tube of Torrit Grey as a free-with-purchase item for all Gamblin purchases of $25 or more.
Don’t miss the opportunity to promote Torrit Grey thru your Facebook, email and web communications. Watch Gamblin’s Facebook page for announcements you can share with your community of painters.
Gamblin suggests retailers give painters a tube of Torrit Grey for every $25 purchase of Gamblin oil painting materials. To support your efforts, Gamblin is mailing new Torrit Grey rack signs to all retail partners this week.
To promote Torrit Grey, you can easily create communications using the images and copy available at Gamblin’s retail portal: http://www.gamblincolors.com/retail Click “Promotional Copy & Photography” and then click for Torrit Grey.

What is Torrit Grey?
In celebration of Earth Day, each spring Gamblin’s Master Paintmakers recycle the pigments captured by their Torit Air Filstration System into a limited edition color: Gamblin Torrit Grey.
Torrit Grey reflects Gamblin’s – and our – shared commitment to sustainability. Every batch is unique, ranging from warm grey to cool, bluish grey. To learn more about Torrit Grey and the Torrit Grey Painting Contest, visit gamblincolors.com

The mission of Williamsburg is to provide painters with the best quality pigments that serve as a connection to the past while continually expanding the depth and scope of the colors painters depend on.

In keeping with that tradition, Williamsburg is very proud to re-introduce 2 old favorites that had been discontinued in the past, plus 3 additions to families of pigments that help round out their spectrum of hues, and 13 French Earth Colors from the oldest operating mine and pigment supplier in France.

Returning Favorites: Two Beloved Colors Return
• Indanthrone Blue
• Green Gold

New Single Pigment Colors:  Expanding & Deepening Color Ranges
• Cadmium Purple
• Cobalt Green
• Mars Orange Deep

Introducing French Earth Colors
• French Yellow Ochre Deep
• French Ochre Havane
• French Brown Ochre
• French Burnt Ochre
• French Burnt Umber
• French Raw Umber
• French Raw Sienna
• French Light Sienna
• French Terre Verte
• French Ardoise Grey
• French Cassel Earth
• French Noir Indien
• French Rouge Indien

Orders for the new Williamsburg colors are being accepted now. Pre-order specials on French Earth Set-ups are available at an extra 15% off through May 18, 2012. Shipping begins May 14, 2012. Contact your MacPherson’s Sales Representative for more details.