Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

Michaels Stores has named Chuck Rubin as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors. He currently is President/CEO of Ulta Beauty, a publicly-held chain of 550 cosmetic stores. He will assume his new roles after a brief period of transition. Chuck Sonsteby, who acted as co-CEO, will continue as the Company’s Chief Administrative Officer and CFO. Previous employers of Chuck Rubin include Office Depot, Sportmart, and Federated Department Stores.  “Michaels is an iconic brand and a category leader in the large and fragmented arts and crafts industry, with considerable potential moving forward,” said Mr. Rubin. “With its diverse product offering of industry defining brands and unique customer engagement strategy, Michaels has built a loyal customer base. I am honored and excited by the opportunity and look forward to working with the company’s talented management team and dedicated associates.”

With great sadness we report the peaceful passing of our own David Swancey on February 2nd. David worked for many years in a number of leadership capacities at MacPherson’s Atlanta Distribution Center. Jim Semitekol, our COO, echoes the sentiments of David’s large group of friends at MacPherson’s when he said, “David was a valuable member of our team for many, many years. Always putting the company’s best interest first and always putting forth his best effort with a smile and an infectious dry sense of humor”.

The NAMTA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Beth Bergman will be inducted into the NAMTA Hall of Fame. Beth is the owner of Wet Paint, located in Saint Paul, MN and is a long time NAMTA member and former member of the board of directors. Beth will receive this honor at the upcoming Art Materials World this May in Minneapolis.

School Specialty Inc. (SCHS), a money- losing distributor of non-textbook school supplies including art materials and classroom equipment, filed for bankruptcy protection and put the company on the auction block. The Company had annual sales of $732 million and is based in Greenville, WI.  The Company reportedly has obtained a capital commitment of $50 million to help it meet its ongoing obligations and is working with a trustee to restructure their debt.

Artists Guild of Sturgeon Bay, WI is the iAMart group’s latest member.

Nancy Doubler, long time National Sales & Marketing Manager at Flambeau Inc/ArtBin Division, has recently left the company.

Adrienne Van Veen, long time art supply buyer at the University of California at Davis store, has been promoted to Asst. Director of Merchandise. Congratulations Adrienne! Staff member Mary Testa will be taking over the art supply buying duties.

ColArt, has announced it will be rolling out Microsoft Lync, a new VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony system to 16 offices across Europe, America and China. The installation has already enhanced communication across the group, especially among mobile workers, and has fostered a richer collaborative environment for ColArt’s UK staff.

Check out this great article from the Orange County Register about San Clemente Art. OC Register

A former MacPherson’s alum, Mike Wiener, and his store are in the news! Check out the whole story here: The Drawing Board

NAMTA’s Council for Arts Advocacy received 16 grant applications and, in December, a committee selected the 3 recipients listed below. Each will be featured in an upcoming issue of NAMTA’s eNews and 2 of the 3 have indicated they are able to send a representative to Minneapolis. The remaining funds in the Foundation account plus an additional $1,600 from NAMTA were used to award this money.

1. North Shore Academy of the Arts, Grafton, WI was awarded $4,000
2. Art With a Heart, Indianapolis, IN was awarded $3,500
3. Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO was also awarded $3,500

Our Purchasing and Creative teams are gearing up for another fun-filled and educational Dealer Workshop. The event will be held at the Doubletree Hotel at the Berkeley Marina on Wednesday, June 12th and Thursday, June 13th. We’ll also have a handful of demos on Tuesday afternoon.

Think you’d like to join us? Click here to request an invitation if you haven’t received one yet.

2013 Pricing Changes

The Golden Artist Colors, Inc. 2013 price change documentation has been sent out and became effective February 18, 2013 for all products, including the Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors line. If dealers need additional information, please contact MacPherson’s Sales Representatives or GOLDEN Sales Representatives.

Look for Just Paint #28 Online and in Mailboxes Mid-February

In this issue, Mark Golden shares his insights regarding cotton fabric supports with the use of Acrylic paints. Also focusing on cotton fabric supports, Sarah Sands, Technical Support Services Supervisor, writes about the preparation of canvas for oil painting.

And as usual, both Scott Bennett and Sarah Sands introduce artists to the new GOLDEN Experimental Acrylic products and our new Special Edition Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors.

In her article, Emma Golden writes about the success of the 2012 Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts (SAGF) Artist Residency Program and the growth of the program that is planned for 2013.

And finally, Golden is pleased to include a brief introduction by Joyce Hill Stoner to the newly published book, “Conservation of Easel Paintings.”

To read these articles and much more, go to Golden Index Link 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, contact your MacPherson’s Representative for ordering instructions.

New Videos on GOLDEN YouTube Channel

If you are a subscriber to the GOLDEN YouTube site then you already know about the new videos that were posted recently.

If you’re not a subscriber yet, here is the link to two new GOLDEN videos:

1. “Understanding and Controlling Acrylic Drying Time” Demonstration of the key factors in controlling the drying time of acrylic paints. The video shows how time, temperature, humidity, paint thickness, air-flow, and absorbency impact the way acrylic paint dries. 
2.  “Molding Paste for Drawing or Painting” Molding Paste is an economical way to extend acrylic paint and build texture, but it also gives artists control over surface texture. It can be used to smooth the weave on rough canvas, fill the grain on wood, or create an impasto texture on smooth board. Molding Paste has a smooth absorbent surface quality that is an excellent foundation for pen and ink, markers, pencil, watercolors, oils and acrylics. 
3. “Micaceous Iron Oxide for Drawing or Painting” From the metallic color palette of GOLDEN Heavy Body and Fluid Acrylic colors, Micaceous Iron Oxide is a warm, nearly black color that dries with a texture and sparkle similar to fine grit sandpaper. Great as a metallic color, it also makes an excellent surface for drawing with pencil, pastel and conté crayon. 
4. “Golden Employee 12×12 for 12/12/12” To celebrate the convergence of the 12th day of the 12th month in the 12th year of the 21st century, the Employee Owners of Golden Artist Colors, and their families, have created this exposition of art with only one requirement: they must be 12 inches by 12 inches. 

Once you click on this link, which takes you to the GOLDEN YouTube homepage, you can watch these videos (and many more) as well as become a Subscriber. Just click on the “Subscribe” button next to the company name.

Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts Announces 2013 Artist Residents!

The Artist Residency program for 2013 has doubled from last year, enabling up to 18 artists to attend. Artists from around the world have applied and were chosen by an independent selection committee based on the quality of their work. Go to the Golden Foundation Web site to learn more about this year’s artist residents!

Sam & Adele Golden Foundation Link

Sharpie Stained Open Stock tray is NOW AVAILABLE with eight vibrant, bold colors. Brush tip fabric markers let you start a line of your own design. Stained is developed for optimal performance on most fabric surfaces.

Sharpie Neon Acrylic Display Available 4/15/13. Sharpie Neon delivers ultra-vivid, colorful marking on light surfaces in daylight, and marks that turn fluorescent in black light environments. The same, bold, smooth writing experience as a Sharpie Fine marker. The NEW Sharpie Neon Permanent Marker is designed to inspire bold, vivid expression on new surfaces.

Prismacolor celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2013. Stay tuned for exciting events around the 75th anniversary, and a limited edition set available in Q3.

Try out the new Art Alternatives clear acrylic plastic that locks shut making it easy to transport mixed colors between class, the studio, and the field. While most palettes are specific to one medium, this versatile palette works equally well with watercolor, oil, or acrylic paints, as it contains both a removable 24 well palette and 10 sheets of disposable palette paper. It additionally contains 3 small sponges that can be moistened to keep paints workable longer.  Refill sheets of palette paper are also available.  The palette is AA15363 (retail of $19.99) and the refills is AA15364 (retail of $8.99). Don’t forget to take advantage of the 70% off launch promo (use the SI code)!

Many of the industry’s most experienced and respected art material retailers have shared a little of their wisdom with NAMTA and you are the beneficiary.

NAMTA asked these longtime retailers to tell us what three pieces of advice they’d give any art material retailer . . . especially those who weren’t as experienced.

The result is — 101 Tips (that don’t include pricing) for Art Material Retailers – and it will immerse you in page after page of advice from a group of experts who, collectively, have more than 500 years of experience selling art materials.

This document can be of great value to independent reps and manufacturers, too, because many “tips” suggest ways for art material retailers to work more closely with their reps and suppliers.

The entire publication is designed to help you work smarter, manage better, be more efficient and, ultimately, to save money, make money.   For example:

• Team Up With Other Businesses That Are Attracting Customers

• Ask your Suppliers and Reps to provide educational training and hands on product knowledge workshops designed specifically for your staff

• Thoroughly Advertise Your In-Store Events . . . and say Space Is Limited

• Provide Space for Customers to view instructional videos

• Set Up A “Try Me” Table in Your Store

• Your Customers are artists – buy local art and display it in your store

• Make sure staff knows how to substitute products if sold out of something

101 Tips is a great document to share with your staff and every “tip” is a discussion topic for your next staff meeting.

Best of all – it’s a free membership benefit for NAMTA members.

If you are a namta member you can go here to download your copy of this exciting 17-page NAMTA booklet.

If you would like to join our Trade Association or just lear more, visit Namta.org

NAMTA…save money/make money !