Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

2014 Pricing Changes

The Golden Artist Colors, Inc. 2014 price change documentation has been sent out and is effective February 17, 2014 for all products, including the Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors line. All dealers should review their inventory and place orders in advance of this change if necessary. Need additional information? Please contact your MacPherson’s Account Manager or GOLDEN Sales Representatives. All the new Golden Pricing is available from MacPherson’s OEX price change spreadsheet.

Winter B-T-S Reminder

The 2nd semester B-T-S advertising promotional dates expire 2/14/14 in advance of the price change. To remain in compliance with the Golden Artist Colors, Inc. M.A.P. policy, advertised pricing of GOLDEN product must be no deeper than 30% off and Williamsburg product no deeper than 20% off. Check with your MacPherson’s Account Manager for details regarding GOLDEN’s offerings in 2014.

New Products for GOLDEN in 2014

2014 is already proving to be an exciting year at Golden Artist Colors! There is a tremendous amount of activity at the factory, as staff gear up for new product launches not only for GOLDEN, but Williamsburg as well. Stay tuned for additional details in the coming weeks!

New GOLDEN Distribution Center

Commencing on March 10th, 2014 Golden Artist Colors, Inc. will be operating a new distribution center in support of their trading partners. This new facility is located approximately 20 miles from their current operational base and the expectation is, that over time, improved serviceability will be achieved via new technologies, case pack orientations, and more reliable transportation capabilities.

To support the opening of this facility on time, GOLDEN will NOT ship any orders from March 3rd – March 7th. This time period will be required to execute the movement of all inventory stocks to the new location.

Please consider this interruption in service as you plan your order fulfillment. MacPherson’s customers, who occasionally purchase direct through GOLDEN, may want to purchase through MacPherson’s during that week. For questions, contact GOLDEN Sales Director Bill Hartman at 800-959-6543.

Upcoming Retailer Workshop – Downtown Atlanta

There will be an all day Retailer Workshop in downtown Atlanta, GA on January 29. For those in the area who are interested in attending, please contact your MacPherson’s Account Manager for more information.

Additional Retailer Workshops are available throughout 2014, so please consider attending one in your region. Confirmed locations thus far are as follows:

• Washington, DC

• Boston, MA

• Seattle, WA

• Portland, OR

• Los Angeles, CA

• San Francisco, CA

More information will be forthcoming. If you have any questions about any of the above information, contact your MacPherson’s Account Manager.

Easy to use, Derwent’s Watercolor Pencil range gives your creative customers all the control of a pencil with the beauty of watercolor. They can be used as a dry color pencil, or just add water to create stunning effect. 72 classic colors allow you to achieve anything from bold vibrant images to delicate watercolor washes.

Derwent Watercolor pencils are available in 72 classic colors and have a hexagonal 7mm barrel. They feature a 3.4mm core and soft texture that holds a strong point.  The colors in the Watercolor range can also be found in the Artists’ and Studio ranges. Available individually and in a blister card of 6, tins of 12, 24, 36, 72 as well as a beautiful wood box set feature the full range of 72.  Derwent Watercolor Pencil Sets

Derwent Watercolour paper pads perfectly complements the watercolor pencils. Developed especially for water-soluble pencils, this smooth paper is perfect for all water-soluble media. The smooth surface also provides an excellent base for detailed watercolors and dry pencil work.

Pads of 12 sheets of 300gsm acid free paper are available in 4 pad sizes; 8.27” x 5.8”/ 8.27” x 11.69/ 16.54” x 11.69”/ 23.39” x 16.54” Derwent Watercolor Paper Pads

Derwent’s Waterbrushes with 3 head shapes; Fine, Medium and Chisel tip have been exclusively developed for artists to paint ‘en plein air’. Easy to control water flow with a non-drip valve, just top up your brushes with water before you head out as they are portable, leak proof and easy to clean. Waterbrushes are ideal to use with the Watercolor pencils and pads. Availably individually or as a pack of 3 different head sizes. Derwent Waterbrushes

New Product Announcements!

New 4oz Size for Mediums & Gamvar

Gamblin is pleased to announce the addition of a NEW 4 oz. size to their Mediums line. The new size replaces the 2 oz. size, which will be discontinued upon the introduction of the new 4 oz. bottle.

The Gamblin Mediums Set will remain the same with  2 oz. sample sizes of mediums as part of the set. New item information and pricing for all 4 oz. mediums can be found on Gamblin’s retail portal (http://wwww.gamblincolors.com/retail). There will be no changes to previously announced 2014 pricing. The 2 oz. inventory will remain available while supplies last. Check out the Gamvar offerings on MacPhersonart.com.

Improved Mediums Packaging. No leaking. No broken bottles. No loose caps.

Gamblin has made an improvement to their mediums packaging to better serve retail partners and painters. Gamblin mediums are now filled in plastic, heat sealed bottles with child-resistant-caps. The new packaging has a better seal, is easier to pour and is more environmentally sustainable. The changeover will be a rolling transition that has already begun. There will be no changes to the size or shape of the bottles. Your customers may not be able to even tell the difference!

Opus Art Supplies is celebrating 40 years serving the visual arts community in Vancouver, BC. From humble roots as a wholesale framing company in Vancouver, Opus has grown to include 6 retail locations, a national mail order service and an online store. As the times have changed, Opus as a business has followed suit. Watch Opus: 40 Years  for an inspiring look at their journey.

We’re thrilled to announce that our amazing  New England-based account manager Pat Armstrong and his wife Katie, are the proud parents of a baby girl. Bridget Mary Armstrong was born on January 21st. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 oz.

Bridget Mary Armstrong

Congratulations to Olivia and Judd Meininger on the birth of their son Tennessee Henry. Young Tennessee represents the 6th generation of this venerable Denver family and weighed in at a very healthy 8 lbs 4oz.

Olivia & Tennessee Henry

ColArt has named Christian Thieme their global Chief Financial Officer based in their London headquarters replacing veteran group controller Neil Robson. In related company news Ilka Lohaus, ColArt’s Chief Marketing Officer has left the company to pursue other opportunities as did Hervé Rouvre, group financial director, based in LeMans, France.

Kathy Christian

Kathy Christian, former owner of Art Media, Retired from Dick Blick as manager of their Beaverton OR, store on 1-18-2014.

Leadership changes at Canson. Effective in late March, Jim Allery, will step down as CEO and President of Canson North America at which time a new CEO is expected to arrive and assume the responsibilities of the role. Additionally Jacques Joly the company’s international Annonay, France based Managing Director has left the company. A successor has not yet  been named.

Jim Allery, Eric Joan, CEO at Hamelin & Jacques Joly

The private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners has acquired Chicago area Polyform Products, maker of Sculpey.

The #1 U.S. direct marketer of wigs, hairpieces and hair extensions has a new CEO and board member. Michael Ippolito, former CEO of Utrecht(now Blick) has taken the reins of Specialty Commerce Direct (SCD) the parent company of wig.com.

“The Science and Spiritual Resonance of Paint”… What a great title for an article on Gamblin artists paints in the National Endowment for the Arts magazine from last month!  Well technically it was the subtitle, the real title being “Painting the town Napthol Red” . Check out the full article: Painting the Town Napthol Red – one might say that Gamblin is a bonafide national treasure!

POW! WOW! Hawaii – Bringing Murals and Music to the Islands Centered around a week-long event in Hawaii, POW! WOW! has grown into a global network of artists and organizes gallery shows, lecture series, schools for art and music, mural projects, a large creative space named Lana Lane Studios, concerts, and live art installations across the globe. The central event takes place during Valentine’s Day week in February in the Kaka’ako district of Honolulu, and brings over a hundred international and local artist together to create murals using Montana Cans, as we as other forms of art.  For more information, check out the POW! WOW! website.

POW! WOW!

Ever wonder what ColArt’s London headquarters is all about? Well it’s pretty cool. Check out this video produced by their interior space architect that showcases the design and philosophy of creating a creative workspace:

Luke Randall of Endeavors in Fredericton, Canada passed along that one the local politicians he admires most, Elizabeth Weir, is a big fan of our unique sketching fountain pen – the Art Alternatives Pen & Ink Sketch Pen. Luke reports she was a former party leader in his province, New Brunswick. She travels the world monitoring elections and has pens of every brand and stripe. In Ms. Weir’s own words,  “it is now my new favourite pen – the fine line fountain.  Can’t believe the price.” Here is a photo she snapped on the job in Misuq, Libya!

Misuq, Libya

Archiver’s, the scrapbook retail chain in Minnetonka, MN has decide to close all its 33 remaining stores amid what they describe as a “changing market”. They opened in 1999 and at their peak they had 44 stores.

Cass Art, one of Britain’s leading art supplies retailers has raised £3.2m($5.25 million) to help fund the opening of up to 15 more stores over the next five years. Cass Art, which has six branches in London, has secured backing from the Business Growth Fund, an investment house set up by five leading British banks.

Mark Cass

The Color Wheel Company of Corvalis Oregon was recently featured in their local news outlet. Check out the whole story: Artist Color Wheel

Eric Dickenson

The Craft & Hobby Association(CHA) Announces 2014 Hall Of Fame that includes includes Eric Dickenson, Michaels Stores, Inc.; Pricilla Hauser, Society of Decorative Painters; and Julie Stephani, Stephani Ink. The 2014 inductees were  honored at the CHA Foundation Gala on Sunday, January 12th at the CHA 2014 Conference & Trade Show in Anaheim, California.

KASHINK, is an amazing urban artist we met recently in Miami in December at the Wynwood Walls Art Week.  She had been invited to paint several walls in Wynwood, as part of the show “Women on the walls”. Here is a video of her year long, globe spanning outdoor art project celebrating acceptance of gay marriage. Her paint of choice? MONTANA BLACK of course!

Not that Justin Bieber beats KASHINK, but in case you’re a fan, check out the pop bad boy’s spray paint of choice. Bieber uses MONTANA BLACK! He showed his can skills at the premier for the movie Believe – check out the full story and pics here: Bieber Graffiti Fever!

Bieber paintin’ it BLACK!