Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

Check out this documentary showcasing Heineken®, Montana Cans, ABV Agency / Gallery and 3DR joining forces to create the first-ever traveling art adventure:  The Heineken® Mobile Art Experience.

The heart of the collaboration was a live art truck complete with rotating canvases on the outside and a gallery on the inside. The truck traveled from Wynwood to South Beach visiting walls and pop-up events. Spectators watched artists immersed in live sessions, creating works of art in real-time on the sides of the truck. The truck brought Montana Cans and other supplies straight to the scene, so on-the-go creatives didn’t have to chase down paint and materials from far-flung locales. A limited edition commemorative Montana can was designed to honor the relationship between the premium brands.

Tristan Eaton and the world’s most famous street artists will transform the abandoned Red Sands Sea Forts into iconic works of art. With some help from Kickstarter donors, Converse, Library Street Collective and Montana Cans the project hopes to kick off this summer. Read all about this amazing project. If Tristan and collaborators reach the needed funding, it will be one of the most amazing urban art murals ever. Here’s the link to the Kickstarter page; give if you can! Type in Tristan Eaton in the search box

The list of artists is just as incredible as the project itself:

• Tristan Eaton
• Shepard Fairey
• Futura 2000
• How & Nosm
• London Police

“These forts are a timeless symbol of resistance. Whether it’s fighting the tyranny of the Nazis during WWII or fighting censorship in their Pirate Radio days in the 60’s – they’ve always been on the frontline of defense against oppression. This makes them a perfect icon for the spirit of the street art & graffiti movement and I think it’s important to share their story with a new generation.” – Tristan Eaton

Dan Weidner, VP Sales at Walter Foster Publishing (Hachette) will be retiring after 16 years with the company. Dan sent a note that says it all: “After 33 years, 16 at Walter Foster, 15 at Hunt/Speedball and 2.5 at Grumbacher while in Chicago I feel like my customers are family and I’ll miss them. I have a lot of fond memories of so many NAMTA shows, meetings with customers and making some lifelong friendships.” Dan has encouraged sharing his email address for those who would like to stay in touch:  dweidner1@cox.net

Andy and Cynthia Lenz will be honored at the International Art Material Trade convention in Houston this March with the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award. In August they will be celebrating Lenz Art’s 48^th year serving the creative community of Santa Cruz California. It’s a local institution, with a national influence that has a remained a truly family-oriented business with a huge heart. Congratulations Cynthia and Andy, as well as sons Andrew and Matthew who proudly carry on the family tradition!

Andy, Cynthia & Andrew, circa 1970’s

John Walker, the long time buyer at Plaza Art passed away recently.

Rich Colletti

Rich Colletti the art buyer at Sbars and AC Moore for 13 years has moved to gourmet food specialist Di Bruno Bros in Philadelphia. Shaun Kiernan, AC Moore’s Divisional Merchandise Manager reports that Anthony Mignogna will step into the role. Anthony has been in the AC Moore/SBARS family for close to 30 years with many successful responsibilities at the company including sales, buying, and global sourcing.

R&F Handmade Paints, announced recently that Kevin Lavin has joined their team as Vice President of Sales & Marketing.  Kevin has had a long, successful history in our industry that includes decades of retailing and most recently serving a term as NAMTA’s President in 2014-2015.

It’s official. Flax Art will be moving its flagship store very soon from San Francisco to across the Bay Bridge in Oakland California. A sad day for creative people in the city by the bay turns out to be good fortune for artists in what has become the “Brooklyn of the west coast”! Read the details Here

Pacon Corporation, supplier of education, arts and crafts products including Strathmore Artist, announced that it acquired the assets of The Chenille Kraft Company. Under the terms of the agreement, Pacon acquired Chenille Kraft’s inventory and trade names. Chenille Kraft’s inventory was transferred to Pacon in mid-January.

Tommy Skinta, Newell Brand’s(Sanford) national accounts manager for the Art & Craft channel based in Dallas, TX has left the company to pursue other career opportunities.

Meininger Art Supply in Denver, CO is high up on the list of The The Ten Best Denver Street-Art Murals of 2015. Judd Meininger commissioned seven of the most talented artists in Denver to create side-by-side works on the two-story wall, even providing them with a lift to use.

Meiningers No 1 Wall

Mike Novak, Account Manager for Canson left recently to join Chartpak’s sales team in the North East.

Udo Peters has joined Staedtler as their European Sales Director. Previously he was the managing director for Tombow’s Europe operation.

As Strathmore strives to continue their commitment to develop innovative new products that meet artists’ needs, they are excited to introduce Strathmore^® 300 Series Black Canvas Paper pads. With 3 pad sizes available, artists can now create with this on-trend new surface!

Creating art on the new Black Canvas paper is a fresh and inspiring way to make paintings pop! The black background allows colors to take center stage, and lets artists create dramatic shadows for an inspiring look.

Strathmore 300 Series Black Canvas Paper has a classic canvas-textured surface, and is great for practicing techniques and for student level artists creating finished art. The canvas texture works with oil and acrylic paints, and is the same texture that can be found on Strathmore’s 300 Series White Canvas paper. The NEW 300 Series Black Canvas pad line will begin shipping February 1, 2016 from Strathmore.

Strathmore 300 Series Black Canvas features include:

• 115 lb / 187 gsm weight paper.
• Bold black colored paper.
• Canvas textured surface.
• Works with oil and acrylic paints.
• Flip-over covers with glue binding.
• “Actual Size” sheets.
• 10 sheets of paper per pad.
• Acid free.
• Made in the U.S.A.
• Available in 9” x 12”, 12” x 16”, or 16” x 20” pads.

300 Series Black Canvas pads are featured on an introduction promotion, which runs through Strathmore’s Spring promotion ending April 15, 2016. They are also featured one MacPherson’s Spring Buyer’s Guide promotion ending April 28. Learn how this new program can increase the productivity of your retail space by contacting your MacPherson’s sales representative today! Also, be sure to connect with Strathmore Artist Papers online at www.strathmoreartist.com and through social media outlets to stay informed on up to the second information.

NEW! Spring Promotional Period – Focus on QoR^® Watercolor!

• QoR Watercolor Only – MAP on QoR During Spring Promotion at 40% off
• Receipt and Ship Dates: 02/08/16 – 04/15/16
• Advertised Promotional Dates: 02/22/16 – 04/29/16
• An extra 5% for each buy during the promotional period

This is a great opportunity to focus on QoR in your store, right at the start of Watercolor season! Check with your MacPherson’s Sales Representative for any questions you may have.

New Video from GOLDEN

Golden has recently added a new video to their Video Library that they think your customers will be interested in. Videos are quick and easy content to share on Facebook and a great way to boost your organic reach.

High Flow Acrylic Squeeze Marker Set

Whether it’s a controlled line or flowing drips that you’re looking for, the new High Flow Squeeze Marker Set from GOLDEN will achieve it. With a selection of 3 High Flow colors, 2 Marker Nibs and A Smash Supreme Marker, this set allows you to explore mark making in fun and creative ways.

To learn more about High Flow Acrylics, to go http://www.goldenpaints.com/products/colors/high-flow

If you have any questions about any of the above information, contact your MacPherson’s Sales Representative.

Strathmore Artist Papers™ is excited to introduce new powerful electronic tools for retailers and artists! They wanted to make it easy for customers to find product information, helpful resources and to inspire artists to keep making art. By overhauling the Strathmore website, and by adding a digital version of their 2016 product catalog, they’re hopeful that information is more attainable at the click of a button.

The Strathmore Website Got a Fresh NEW Makeover

Strathmore been working on a complete overhaul of the Strathmore website. What were the goals with the redesign?

• Make the site more user friendly and easier to navigate
• Give the site a clean, inspirational look that features more art, artists and inspiring visuals
• Provide easier access to useful product and art information.

Aside from the fresh new design and ease of navigation, they’ve added some helpful tools and features:

• Product Selector Tool: A drop down menu allows users to pick their preferred medium, format, and experience level. The site then generates which of our products are a best-fit based on the fields selected by the artist. This tool also hovers across the home page and many other areas of the site for quick access.
• Learning/Tools Tab: This new tab contains links to helpful resources like free art video lessons, Online Workshop Classroom, downloadable paper guide & brochures and much more.
• Restructured Art Blog: The new setup of Strathmore’s Art Blog makes it easier to find specific topics and information from past articles. Our blog is filled with helpful product information, news, art tips & techniques, inspiration and answers to FAQ’s. Many of these blog posts make perfect content for retailers to share!

Introducing the 2016 Strathmore Digital Catalog 

Strathmore has been brainstorming ways to communication product and promotional materials to customers in the timeliest fashion. With more and more people utilizing the internet because of the ease and timeliness of accessing information, they are excited to announce an interactive electronic version of their 2016 catalog!

By making the catalog available digitally, they can now keep information up to the minute with product additions and discontinuations. This interactive version of their catalog includes many features that the printed version can’t offer. Filled with product videos and links to supporting information, it is a helpful tool. They hope that you find our electronic catalog to be a valuable resource in 2016! You may access the new electronic catalog HERE, or you may also access it from the Retailer Tools section of our website at: https://www.strathmoreartist.com/login.html .

Just a reminder, if you aren’t currently using the Retailer and Distributor Tools section of the Strathmore website, please create a login today to receive access to product images, sell sheets, shelf labels, header signage and much more! They have an easy-to-follow information sheet to help you get started.

Web Retailer tool flyer

Please note, you may need to update the most recent version of Flash in order to view the digital version of their catalog, which is available for download here

We hope that you find these new digital enhancements helpful in 2016. If you have any questions on how to utilize some of these to increase your business, please contact your MacPherson’s representative today!

Visit Strathmore Artist Papers™ on social media at:

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A GREAT product review for the New Wave™ POSH™ table top palettes from Charles Y. Walls, professional artist and teacher at Binders Art Supplies in Atlanta, GA.

“I tried the palette [POSH – MacPherson’s Item#: NW00501, NW00502, NW00503 & NW00504] the first time thinking I would use it a couple times, give a review and then remove it from my taboret, but that was hardly the case. The finish on the grey POSH palette has a unique feel; not as slick as glass but smoother than wood, it really felt good under my brush… I have since painted over seven paintings using the POSH and cleaned the palette completely after each day’s work and the finish of the palette is still as pleasing as the first day of use. And the palette still sits on my taboret, ready for the next painting.”

NW00501

Have you experienced any of New Wave’s handcrafted products first hand? If you haven’t you certainly should. Artist reviews are spectacular and all New Wave products can be stocked through MacPherson’s. To continue reading the POSH table top palette review by Charles Walls please click here.