Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

Over the past year MacPherson’s has built a strong and cohesive leadership team with high energy, diverse talents, experiences and fresh perspectives mostly outside the art material business. The team includes:

• Eric Matthews – Controller
• Michael Lin – Director of Operations
• Jon Newsom – Director of Sales
• Dionne Mallins – Director of Marketing
• Peter Eichelberger – Director of Information Technology

They join the core senior leadership team at MacPherson’s of tested and proven managers. That well-known and experienced team includes Steve Robinson, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, Jim Semitekol, Chief Operating Officer and Natasha Nicholson-Bjerre, Vice President responsible for our people.

With the coming year we have planned some important changes to coincide with the urgent and evolving needs of our customers, suppliers and employee-owners.  Beginning in December and rolling out over a few months you will see a new structure and new responsibilities emerging at MacPherson’s.

Steve Robinson

In my new position as Executive Chairman I will be turning over the day-to-day operations to Steve Robinson in his new role as our company President. I will still be working full-time though my responsibilities will become more focused on developing our future business while cultivating our strong customer and supplier partnerships. Reporting to Steve will be Jim Semitekol, Natasha Nicholson Bjerre, Jon Newsom and Dionne Mallins.

Jim Semitekol

Jim Semitekol will be spearheading a yearlong development of his team and their responsibilities in finance, accounting, operations, inventory and information technology that will allow him to transition to retirement at the end of 2017. In this time we will be seeking a new COO who hopefully will come from within MacPherson’s.

Our focused, energized and talent based leadership team is committed to delivering an ever improving package of products and solutions to help in our customers quest for success. Our promise to you, our customers and suppliers, is to fully communicate, always ask for your feedback and be responsive to your needs.

As always,

Frank Stapleton

At Arch Supplies in San Francisco, owner Susie Colliver and her top team of Kate, Mac, Tom, Caryn & David celebrated the company’s 38^th birthday at their amazing and new Carolina Street location with all the bells and whistles of an exciting grand opening. Congratulations Susie!

Royal Talens has acquired Schjerning Farver A/S as of November 15, 2016. With this acquisition, Royal Talens has further reinforced its position as a leading player in artists’, school, hobby & crafts materials and coloring, drawing and writing products. Schjerning Farver holds a strong position with its eco-friendly, high quality products in the school, hobby & craft and private label market. Royal Talens sees this as a perfect addition to its portfolio in more than 100 countries worldwide. “We are very happy with this acquisition,” says Ronald Benning, CEO of Royal Talens.”

Edouard André-Hessig who served as the VP of Marketing(Simply) at Daler Rowney, North America reports that November 30th was his last day. Good luck Edouard !

Another great newspaper article and more insights into Opus Art Supplies chain in Vancouver BC and their owner David van Berckel. Read the article on the Vancouver Sun website.

Robert Perlmutter, founder of the iconic Pearl Paint passed away on November 8^th in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Known as Bob by his colleagues he was credited with creating our industry’s first national chain of discount art supply stores in New York in 1953. Pearl closed the last of their locations in April of 2014. Bob Perlmutter Obituary

Jim Pluth passed away on October 13th. Jim served 20 years in the United States Navy and went on to be Executive Vice President of Tara Materials/Fredrix Artist Canvas – West Coast Manufacturing and Distribution Operations. For more about the rich and remarkable life of Jim, stories and memories are being collected and shared at Celebrating Jim Pluth.

NEW Arches Watercolour Paper Video!

Made in France exclusively from cotton, Arches Watercolour is a paper made from long fibers that give it strength, beauty and an inimitable feel. Naturally protected against the acids in the environment, Arches Watercolour does not yellow, and guarantees the lasting beauty of your works. Made the traditional way, on a cylinder mould, Arches Watercolour has a harmonious natural grain. The fibers are evenly distributed, making the paper more stable, with very limited deformation. Each sheet is torn off by hand, leaving four deckle edges. They are subjected to a final visual inspection and only the best sheets are retained. Arches is the only paper mill in the world to gelatin size its watercolour paper “to the core”. Gelatin sizing allows scraping without tearing. It preserves the luster and transparency of the colours while preventing paints penetrating into the thickness of the paper. Arches Watercolour paper can absorb a considerable quantity of water without warping or causing the colours to bleed. Arches Watercolour is available in three textures: cold press, hot press and rough, in 5 weights, and multiple formats: sheets, blocks, pads, rolls. Contact your MacPherson’s Account Manager for more details.

Check out the Arches watercolour paper video on YouTube

LIQUITEX SPECIAL RELEASE MUTED COLLECTION

5 NEW colors matched across acrylic Ink, Soft Body & Heavy Body

Liquitex doesn’t take no for an answer. After all, challenging the established ways of doing things is in their DNA. It’s how they invented the first acrylic paints in 1955. It’s why they’ve been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible ever since. Liquitex torture-tests products in their lab to ensure they defy every norm. The Special Release Muted Collection is no exception. Grey, Pink, Turquoise, Green and Violet – get to grips with perfect color matching and intermixability. The ink, soft body and heavy body work seamlessly together. Liquitex gets technical so you can get creative.

THE COLLECTION

For the first time, Liquitex introduces a color collection! The range consists of 5 colors matched across 3 ranges (Heavy Body, Soft Body and Ink). These unique tones have been inspired by 2016 trends. Each color has a muted, subtle character and together are a tonal palette.

THE PORTFOLIO

The special release collection includes 5 new colors available in ink, soft body and heavy body, as well as 3 color collection sets. All loose colors come in a high quality cardboard packaging featuring a beauty shot of the color on the front. Each set contains the 5 colors in the range and 1 set of 5 collection cards (identical for all sets) in a high quality premium package with a matte finish. There are 19 skus total: 1 Counter Top Unit, 15 loose colors, and 3 sets. All SKUs were launched September 2016, with availability through the end of 2017.

Link to Video:

Winsor & Newton launches exclusive online videos: Masterclass – Learning tools for artists

Winsor & Newton is proud to present their online video series: Masterclass. This free online resource features professionals from around the world demonstrating techniques, sharing specialist knowledge and insights into working with the finest materials.  Topics covered will include – Understanding Oil Whites, Understanding Oil Blacks, and Titanium White vs. Zinc White. To learn more about the Masterclass videos please visit the Winsor & Newton website.

Last week Prismacolor started airing a new TV commercial just in time for the Holiday selling season! Check it out:

Also, NewellCo/Sanford finally completed the Prismacolor tutorial videos by artist Shelley Minnis and they are up on YouTube to allow retailers to post on social media sites.

• Blending:  
• Watercolor pencils: 
• Sharpener & Eraser techniques: 

This all ties together with the Prismacolor consumer rebate currently in progress on ALL Prismacolor products, just in time for the holiday season. See your MacPherson’s Account Manager for details.  Also, the rebate forms will be available to download at www.Prismacolor2016rebate.com. This program is exclusive to the Fine Art & Craft Channel!  Each receipt will be required to include the name of the retailer and the name of the Prismacolor item purchased clearly stated.   Also acceptable will be the item number or UPC printed on the receipt.  Handwritten notes on the receipt will not be accepted.  What a great opportunity to feature Prismacolor for the holidays and offer your customers some amazing promotional pricing.

Strathmore is excited to expand their initiative to offer consumers educational information as it relates to art. The video series called “Artist How-To” videos launched in May, 2015, and in these short video segments, Strathmore has paired with professional artists to offer artist tips and techniques as it relates to a specific type of art and mediums.

The newest addition to the collection of “Artist How-To” videos available, include 3 new videos created by artist Grace Hart. In these short 2-4 minute videos, Grace explains her tips and techniques for creating artwork using paper cutting. This content is great for artists just starting out with paper cutting, or for those who have interest in the art form but need a bit of guidance on where to begin. She also demonstrates a finished piece, as well as information regarding framing these types of works, while narrating with tips along the way.

The 3 videos available in the paper cutting “Artist How-To” set include:

• Video 1: Introduction to Paper Cutting
• Video 2: Sketching and Cutting Your Piece
• Video 3: Framing your Paper Cut

All of these new videos are available on Strathmore’s YouTube Channel

You can download the videos directly from Vimeo. Simply click the “Download” button below the video.

–Paper Cutting Video 1

–Paper Cutting Video 2

–Paper Cutting Video 3

To support consumers interested in learning about paper cutting, Strathmore has also created a new Art Blog posting with some additional information about the art form. Be sure to check out all of Strathmore’s art blog postings at Strathmore Art Blog

Additionally, Strathmore offers a quarterly newsletter at Strathmore Newsletter which features an artist and their work each publication, along with new product information, current consumer promotions, and frequently asked questions from our website. It’s a great resource for artists and retail stores to keep up to date!

Along with the Artist Tips and Tricks videos, Strathmore is proud to offer product videos, a brand video, archived years of Online workshop videos, and short videos answering artist frequently asked questions. All of our videos are now also available on the Retailer and Distributor Tools area of our website! Follow us on social media to stay in touch with all of the tools available for consumer engagement and education.

Interested in learning more? Contact your MacPherson’s Account Manager for ideas of how you can drive more traffic and sales with Strathmore’s Video Series.

To celebrate the 10th edition of our on going Montana BLACK limited edition artists series, we have this time joined forces with US born artist, Tristan Eaton. Eaton is no stranger to the world of graffiti and mural making. The color of choice was the Montana BLACK, BLK 5070, Horizon. Bringing the can to life, Eaton has managed to tie in some of his trademark visual elements like faces, typography, line work, op art and image layering. Keeping the bar high, we are proud to announce that this beautiful addition to the Montana BLACK Artists Series is now available while stocks last.

All stock in the USA has been placed into the front of the pick face and sold first come first serve. The item Number is MXB-5070 and is now shipping from both Reno and Atlanta warehouses.

Williamsburg Free Paint Promotion

Winter Back to School 2016

All Williamsburg retailers are invited to participate in this program aimed at active oil painting groups, oil painting classes, plein air societies, colleges and universities and all discerning or aspiring artists. Artists just need to purchase any three 37 ml tubes of Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors and they will receive a 37 ml tube of Williamsburg Viridian, FREE!

Participating retailers will receive one Williamsburg Viridian promotional tube kit (ITEM # WB6008P150) for every three 37 ml tubes of Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors purchased during the promotion buy-in period, while supplies last. One, custom labeled 37 ml tube of Williamsburg Viridian (Series 5, List Price of $37.29) will be packaged with a travel size Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors color chart. Stocking retailers will be provided with in-store POP items, along with digital assets to assist in communicating the promotion through e-mail, web and social media.

Retailers can use this promotion to increase artist awareness of Williamsburg by providing them with an incentive to try colors they might not otherwise use and reward artists for engaging with the brand. Additionally, retailers can utilize this promotion to create energy around the brand that will result in increased sales of Williamsburg.

Promotional items will be available to ship beginning November 21, 2016. The promotional buy-in period is November 21, 2016 through January 27, 2017. The promotional period will begin January, 2, 2017 and end February 10, 2017.

When ordering through the MacPherson’s Online Express during the promotion, be sure to add your free goods to the order(s) ITEM # WB6008P150.

If you have any questions, please contact your Williamsburg Sales Representative or call GOLDEN Customer Service at 800-959-6543.

Just Paint #34 Hitting Mailboxes and Websites in December!

In the latest issue of Just Paint Mark Golden writes the first article in a series about painting on metal. In this article he details the types of aluminum to consider when thinking about using metal as a substrate in artwork as well as how to prepare these surfaces for the best adhesion possible.

In an article by Sarah Sands, she investigates Pigment Volume Concentration and its role in color. In this article she focuses on examining some of the ways a pigment’s color changes when used in different systems, such as watercolor, casein, egg tempera, acrylic, encaustic and oil.

Material & Application Specialist Cathy Jennings details the use of GOLDEN Archival MSA Varnish over transparent watercolor on paper as well as some other options for protection of watercolor paintings when on display.

This past September GOLDEN celebrated the artwork of Kikuo Saito with an exhibition of his artwork, ‘Color and Drawing’ at The Sam & Adele Golden Gallery (SAGG) at Golden Artist Colors. Gallery Director, James Walsh explains Saito’s career as an artist and the show in an article in this issue of Just Paint. If you’re not able to visit the gallery before the show comes down in March 2017, you can still see the show by taking a Virtual tour.

Lastly, in this issue GOLDEN celebrates their third year working with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. This year they offered extended residencies for three teachers advancing their own painting practice. Be sure to check this article out as well!

Look for these articles in your mailbox in December or at Just Paint. If you’re interested in receiving the electronic version of Just Paint, go to Just Paint Sign-up.

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