Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

Doug Johnston is leaving ColArt Americas after 13 years to pursue the next step in his career closer to home in Atlanta. As a result Steve Chamberlain, Theresa Kuiken, Marie Huelster and Torkel Tellefsen will form the senior USA management team reporting directly to their functional heads in the UK until a more permanent solution is in place. Doug joined ColArt in 2003 as VP Operations, and was appointed the President of ColArt Americas in 2009.

“It has been a true privilege and honor to be part of the successful development of the company for so many years. I have really enjoyed being part of such a strong company and great team. But, now is the right time for me to move on in my career and take the next step. I would like to thank all of my colleagues around the world, and wish them all the best for the future. I am sure that ColArt has a very successful future ahead and I will miss not being part of it. At the same time I look forward to spending more time with my family,” says Doug Johnston. The changes will be effective April 29.

Jim Kelly, Director of Sales at NewellCo/Sanford announced recently that Karen Bencs will join Newell as their Key Account Manager servicing key customers in the Art & Craft channel.  Formerly she had a similar role at Elmer’s. Karen will represent all Newell brands including Elmer’s, Prismacolor and Sharpie effective March 16, 2016

Arthur Long

At Canson, Arthur Long has been promoted to Sr. VP of Sales and Brent Kennington will only focus on the company’s marketing in his new roles as Sr. VP of Marketing. In related new Kevin Morrison will be leaving the company to concentrate on his health.

Nick Graham, National Sales Manager at Armadillo Art & Craft will be moving on after “12 and a half wonderful years” with the company. Look out for his next venture a web based art material advice site called artsuppliesadvice.com. Good luck Nick!

Moving Store Locations is becoming contagious. Here is the latest independent store news:

Congratulations to Los Angeles art supply mainstay Blue Rooster whose multi-year search for a new and expanded location finally paid off. In late April they will move to 4661 Hollywood Blvd.

Kristen Sciascia reports she will be moving CC Lowell to a new location in Worcester, MA. She says “this will be a huge step for C.C. Lowell, keeping America’s first art supply store (Est. 1852!) going strong. The new building will have 27 parking spaces, tons of visibility from a very well traveled road in Worcester, large classroom space, and finally, last but not least….WINDOWS! (21 years without windows does something to a person!) “

Last but not least the GRAND OPENING of Flax Art & Design flagship store in Oakland is scheduled for Saturday April 2^nd! On March 31st Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland helps cut the titanium Ribbon! Congratulations to the Flax family!

Libby Schaaf and Howard Flax

The independent retailer group iAMart has announced its new Board of Directors. Congratulations to the new slate: Kathy Brennan, Preston Arts Center, President; Nick Gallo, Blue Rooster, Vice President; Karen Fisher, Art Mart, Muncie, Secretary; Scott Rote, Herweck’s, Treasurer; Victor Davis, Vendor Committee Chairperson; Dan Ebert, Central Art Supply, At Large; and Peter Rossing, Muse Art Supply, Membership Chairman.

The Harvard Library that protects the world’s rarest colors takes its role very seriously. The storied pigment library includes beetle extracts, poisonous metals, and human mummies! Read the whole story here Color Collection

Looking to stay up on YouTube trends then Down the ‘tube is the weekly free subscription blog made for you. Check out this cool edu-video making an elegant case that Velasquez’s Las Meninas is the greatest painting ever created. Full disclosure Down the ‘tube is created by Claire Stapleton!

In response to an increased trend in consumer need for a quality marker paper designed for fine artists’ finished work, Strathmore is excited to offer four brand new pads. Made specifically for marker artists, the new 400 Series Marker items are engineered to perform!

A variety of marker types glide easily over the silky smooth surface aiding in blending and supporting vibrant marker colors and subtle hues. Superior surface performance with alcohol-based markers, this is the product that artists have been seeking because it doesn’t soak up a lot of marker, showcases sharp lines, is bleed resistant, and allows them to easily blend colors while still showing true vibrant shades, all while not eroding marker nibs.

Strathmore 400 Series Marker paper offers artists a heavyweight fine art paper specifically designed for use with markers. It is excellent for artwork that is finely detailed or features multiple layers. Its combination of weight and performance characteristics are unmatched by any marker paper currently on the market. Officially launched at NAMTA 2016, the NEW 400 Series Marker pad line began shipping March 7, 2016 from Strathmore.

Strathmore 400 Series Marker features include:

• 50.5 lb / 190 gsm heavyweight weight paper.
• Opaque white color, with no optical brighteners.
• Bleed resistant surface.
• Super smooth finish for even colors, easy blending, and reduced nib wear.
• Flip-over covers with glue binding.
• 24 sheets of paper per pad, except 18×24 which contains 15 sheets.
• Acid free.
• Made in the U.S.A.
• Available in 6” x 8”, 9” x 12”, 11” x 14”, or 18” x 24” pads.

400 Series Marker pads are featured on an introduction promotion, which runs through Strathmore’s BTS promotion May 9, 2016 to September 9, 2016. Learn how this new program can increase the productivity of your retail space by contacting your MacPherson’s account manager 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. 400 Series Marker support materials for retailers including headers, shelf labels, samplers, and sell sheets are all available on Strathmore’s Retailer and Distributor Tools section of their website.

GOLDEN Introduces New QoR^® 24 Watercolor Set

The new QoR^® 24 Set from GOLDEN allows artists to experience a wide range of colors in one convenient set. Packaged in a versatile palette tin, this collection is comprised of a full spectrum of vivid colors, making it appealing to any watercolorist, whether they are a student, teacher or professional who wants to experiment with a modern watercolor.

The twenty-four 5 ml tubes included in the set are Cadmium Yellow Primrose, Nickel Azo Yellow, Quinacridone Gold, Diarylide Yellow, Transparent Pyrrole Orange, Cadmium Red Medium, Permanent Scarlet, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Magenta, Dioxazine Purple, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue Chromium, Phthalo Blue (GS), Cobalt Teal, Viridian Green, Sap Green, Green Gold, Raw Sienna (Natural), Burnt Sienna (Natural), Raw Umber (Natural), Van Dyke Brown, Paynes Gray, Neutral Tint and Titanium White.

The sets are shipping now, so be sure to contact your MacPherson’s Account Manager for more details.

New! QoR Grounds Available as Wet Samples

Leverage unique QoR Grounds as a path to growing the sales of QoR Watercolor. The three watercolor grounds allow artists to take their watercolors beyond paper to canvas or panel with a wider variety of absorbency and texture. To help introduce artists to these exciting grounds, wet samples are now available through the QoR Watercolor Support Request Form.

• Watercolor Ground, (#7002000-S), $1.60 (Support price)
• Light Dimensional Ground, (#7002010-S), $1.60 (Support price)
• Cold Press Ground, (#7002020-S), $1.60 (Support price)

Sam & Adele Golden Gallery Hosts ‘Made in Paint’ Exhibition April 9, 2016

The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts is pleased to announce its 4th annual art exhibition, ‘MADE IN PAINT’. This show, held at the Sam & Adele Golden Gallery (SAGG) at Golden Artist Colors will exhibit work produced by 19 artists from around the world who participated in the Golden Foundation Residency Program in 2015. The exhibition will be held on April 9, 2016 from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm.

Resident Artists: Anne Abendroth, Rebecca Aloisio, Fred Annes, Anthony Bowers, Val Britton, Martha Clippinger, Reed Danziger, Rebekah Goldstein, Shea Hembrey, Meghan Howland, Donald Martiny, Eva Navarro, Garrett Pruter, Jason Rohlf, Edina Seleskovic, Tom Spleth, Leigh Yardley, and Pat Lasch

Visiting Artist: Lori Nix

For more information, go to www.thesagg.org.

Sam & Adele Golden Foundation and Golden Artist Colors Welcome 2016 Artist Residents to New Berlin!

The first group of artists for 2016 arrived in early March and will be at the residency until the beginning of April. Artists participating in the first session are Sarajo Frieden (California), Lorene Anderson (California) and Arpad Forgo (Hungary).

Please take a look at their websites here: http://www.goldenfoundation.org/residency/current-residents/

To learn more about the SAGF Artist Residence Program, visit www.goldenfoundation.org.

Daler-Rowney, one of the top 4 suppliers of paper within the global fine art industry,  is excited to announce the launch of its NEW Cachet line.

Cachet 101 art pads have been developed to target the student/amateur segment, which represents 80% of the market. This new Cachet line features 26 SKUs (tape and spiral bound), covering the most popular techniques: Sketching, Drawing, Watercolor, Bristol, and Mixed Media in 108lb, heavy weight, and black paper (the fastest growing segment). The bold cover colors are eye-catching, and protect the high quality European Papers, which are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council certified), giving the customer the option of supporting responsible forestry. Cachet 101 offers affordable pricing for the best quality to artists and students.

Cachet 101: Key Benefits & Features

• The branding: Cachet US brand & 101 “concept” (usually the introductory course numbers are called 101 in College in the USA). The meaning has been extended to any introductory course of learning. The 101 name is easily recognized by the Student/Amateurs for their class list pad requirement.
• Focused range (26 SKUs) covering only the most popular techniques: Sketching, Drawing, Watercolor, Mix Media (the fastest growing segment) & Bristol

• Made in UK with European quality Papers
• All spiral bound pads sheets will be true size when removed from the micro-perforation
• Bold & eye-catching cover colors and design
• FSC certified: Forest Stewardship Council: Non-profit organization established in 1993 in order to help promote well managed forests and create a wood labeling scheme for Chain of Custody. This gives our customers the opportunity to support sustainable forestry.

Kyle Richardson of Talens has written up a summary of the show, check it out below!

Amsterdam Standard acrylics expanded into new sizes – large format 500ml and 1000ml jars of the hottest student acrylic on the market were a hit and having already been proven in test markets, the possibility for school and painting party applications was immediately recognized.   Also showing is the unique 20ml size tube at only $1.95 per tube – filling a gap where 75ml tubes used to be with an introductory sample price point.

Amsterdam mediums and varnishes showcased unique mediums like a clearly defined “photo transfer gel”, “glow in the dark gel” and creative metallic, black and multicolored flakes which could be added to any medium or acrylic paint at any ratio to create beautiful effects with unlimited control.

Van Gogh oil color was introduced in large format 500ml tins, complete with a protective inside cover to keep the oil paint inside from skinning over between uses – a great value for artist working big or with palette knives.

Talens mediums, varnishes and fixatives offers some unique fixatives for pastels as well as large formats of the varnishes which are often requested from major conservation departments around the US and Canada.

Prebook Promotion Holiday sets at every price point were on display as part of the extra sharp 20% Holiday promo

Talens Art Creation was re-launched with new branding, packaging and new production – now crafted in the Netherlands with high quality pigments, packaging and a strong supply chain coming right off the same machines that grind Rembrandt oil colors! With the quality one can expect from Royal Talens in Holland and extremely competitive price points, this range of novice level acrylics, oils, gouache and watercolors will deliver on the brand promise which will keep the consumer coming back for more.

Bruynzeel was a runaway success with the excitement around Adult Coloring Books this year. With new sets for each expertise level, customers finally had a chance to see what this Dutch pencil company is really about. New for this year were beautiful gift sets, produced in conjunction with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

World Stationery Day is creating a buzz with people all over the world sharing the importance of why writing by hand matters and will always be important, even in an increasingly digital world!

Why does writing matter to you? World Stationery Day celebrates the written word and all things stationery. Help influence people all over the world to send more letters and cards not just text or email as it is much more meaningful! Hand written notes, invitations, birthday cards, & thank you letters add a touch of personalization and thoughtfulness giving pleasure to so many people compared to a typed letter or an e-mail. Let’s keep the writing tradition alive!

Please help celebrate World Stationery Day by sharing your colorful world stationery day save the date creation on social media.

• Facebook (MapedUSA)
• Instagram (@MapedHelixUS)
• Twitter   (@MapedHelix)

Hashtag the following, and share your favorite products.

• #Writingmatters
• #Writeit
• #keepwriting
• #worldstationeryday
• #lovestationery
• #stationeryaddict

See more at: http://worldstationeryday.com/#sthash.u0TBcRlV.oUq2Ujrz.dpuf

Check out Krink’s new paint markers at Namta in Houston, booth 1120

Introducing the K-90, the newest paint-marker from Krink! 
The K-90 employs a unique pump-action feature for flow control. It uses a durable steel roller-ball tip and comes in black and white opaque alcohol-based paint. Made in the USA.
The feedback so far is excellent!

K-60 and K-71 are long standing and consistent best-sellers. If you don’t have them yet, they are essential products from Krink and a great way to introduce the brand to your customers.