Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

On December 30^th, 2016 Artist & Craftsman Supply became a 100% employee owned company (ESOP) after purchasing Larry Adlerstein’s remaining ownership interest. They began the ESOP journey in 2009 when they purchased 48% of the company from Larry. Steve Kenney, the long time team leader and now new president of the company, states proudly, “It has been a privilege to have worked with Larry and to be involved in this wonderful industry for the last twenty four years. It is even more my privilege to lead our team and continue to foster and grow the creative spirit of our great nation and beyond. We are now 34 stores strong and I couldn’t be prouder of what Larry and my incredible team have created together” Congratulations Steve and team!

Steve Kenney & Friends (landing the big fish, so to speak!)

We are excited to announce that Rich Colletti has joined MacPherson’s as a key account manager located in southern New Jersey. Rich’s extensive industry experience includes time as a Sales Representative for Hammer & Associates and as a buyer at Sbar’s/AC Moore Arts & Crafts.

The owners of Howard’s Art Supplies and Custom Framing in Hagerstown, MD, Roger and Ellen Collins have sold the company and will be retiring soon. Two of their long term employees Andrew Naessig and Sarah Popper purchased the company and plan to grow by becoming more involved in the community and working with local educators and arts groups.

Andrew Naessig & Sarah Popper

Announced at last week’s CHA trade show in Phoenix, the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA), the trade association serving the creative arts products industries has re-branded itself the Association For Creative Industries (AFCI). With their new brand name, they are launching a new story, strategic roadmap and visual identity, including a new logo and website redesign, www.afci.global.

Beaverton Oregon distributor C2F completed the purchase of the fine art paint manufacturer M. Graham late in 2016. For the time being Arthur and Diana Graham will continue to play a key role in the company on their path to retirement.

Renee LaMontagne Hile, formerly of ColArt North America, has joined the French based maker of needlework floss DMC® as their Chief Operating Officer (COO) in the Heath, NJ headquarters. DMC is a subsidiary of London Based Craft Group Holdings.

Here’s something very cool! The new feature length film Loving Vincent is the worlds first fully painted animation film, and was hand painted with Van Gogh Oil Colors. This astonishing masterpiece about the life and death of Vincent van Gogh is made using 12 oil paintings a second. Royal Talens demonstrated how this unique film was made at Creativeworld in Frankfurt, where artist January Misiak painted a scene in an original Painting Animation Work Station (PAWS) with Van Gogh Oil Color of course!

Scott Bates has joined Sakura of America as a National Account Sales Executive serving all of Canada. Previously Scott worked for many years at Canson as a Senior Account Manager based in Northern California.

ColArt is very pleased to announce that their partnership with Arches paper maker  Munksjö that was announced in December 2014 has materialized. Effective January 1, 2017, ColArt became the worldwide exclusive distributor for Arches fine art papers. Read the full press release.

MCS Industries recently announced that they have acquired the Los Angeles based ready made frame brand Framatic. The founders of Framatic, David and Edwina Dedlow will remain with Framatic for years to come.

Royal Talens and Pacon announced that they have signed an exclusive distribution agreement for Talens to represent and distribute Strathmore Artist Papers™ in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). During the Creativeworld Fair in Frankfurt, Strathmore and Royal Talens will be launching a fresh and new paper assortment for these markets. The Strathmore products are available at Royal Talens from April 2017. Read the Strathmore Press Release.

A New Look for GOLDEN Grounds, Mediums, Additives and Varnish

Golden Artist Colors offers the broadest range of professional quality acrylic colors, mediums and grounds, providing artists limitless possibilities for creative expression. While the most dedicated GOLDEN customers understand the full breadth of their offering, many artists could benefit from a deeper knowledge of gels, pastes, grounds and other non-color products. They have yet to unlock the full potential available to them through Golden’s complete product line!

There is a tremendous opportunity to engage with artists and educate them on the possibilities contained within this segment of the GOLDEN line. Golden’s re-stage is an integrated campaign that includes new packaging design, in-store signage and new educational videos. An update to the labeling on their non-color products is a significant part of their efforts to make this product segment more approachable to all artists.

Some changes customers will notice with the product line repackaging include the following:

• Color added to identify product sub-categories previously identified on shelf talker color strips
• Updated color strips further reinforce this segmentation and break the non-color product segment into smaller subcategories, making them easier to visually digest in aisle
• Larger text increases readability
• Name changes to accurately reflect intended use or maintain consistency

The following In-store signage and literature are available to support the change:

• Layered Surfaces POP Blade – Item # GDM012943, Support Cost $80.00
• Product Name Changes laminate sheet – Item # M013238, will be sent to all retailers in Q1 of 2017
• Mediums and Additives Reference Guide – Item # M013240, Support Cost $1.25

New educational videos and workshops will also be available:

• Educational video series launching Q2 of 2017
• Expanded working artist classes in mixed media
• Print advertising and social media focus on non-color products

New labels will start going on containers at GOLDEN February 1, 2017. It may take up to several months for these new labels to cycle through inventory at GOLDEN and MacPherson’s.

GOLDEN Sales Representatives will be working to reset store rack tags and color strips between February and July 2017.

If you need more information about these changes or have additional questions, please contact your GOLDEN Sales Representative or your GOLDEN Customer Service Representative at 607-847-6154.

As the success of the Liquitex Special Release Muted Collection continues, Liquitex is excited to announce two new merchandising options for the collection. The first is a free standing display unit which holds the counter top unit with open stock and all three sets. This is an option for retailers who do not have space for the countertop or who want to make a feature of the collection. The next is a suggested endcap that contains the muted collection, white and black in Heavy Body, Soft Body and Ink, plus top selling mediums and space at the bottom for canvas of the retailer’s choice. The headers are orderable items and the Point of Sale kit can be used to further dress up the space.

There has been excellent consumer interest and demand following a strong social media effort, advertising and the inclusion of the Muted Collection Ink in the ArtSnacks October box. Click here on Instagram and you’ll find many positive reviews straight from consumers. The inclusion in ArtSnacks certainly generated buzz for the range and as a result, Liquitex will be putting the Heavy Body Muted Collection into the ArtSnacks May box. They expect a similar response, excitement and demand for Heavy Body to follow.

To order contact your MacPherson’s account manager or click here for more details:

Liquitex Sales Sheet – Special Release Muted Collection – FSDU

Liquitex Sales Sheet – Special Release Muted Collection – ENDCAP PROPOSAL

After

Hints and Tips:

• Sketching and drawing is one of the fastest growing categories at art & craft retail. Even with the adult coloring craze cooling down, sketching and drawing continues to trend.
• Sets are the entry point for most sketching and drawing customers, so merchandising placement and design that helps consumers find their way to the right technique and quality can build strong loyalty to stores and brands.
• Open stock pencils are essential to developing long term serious fans as customers though the slower inventory turn makes it less of a profit center and more of a courtesy. 
• The “golden zone” for merchandising on store shelves is eye-level down to the average person’s waist. On the shelves below is a great destination location for items such as open stock and above is great for way finding, branding and promotional signage.

Building off of the adult coloring trend, there are still a large amount of artists and cross-over crafters interested in trying new art surfaces and techniques. Based upon this, Strathmore’s product team developed a product that encourages art enthusiasts to try a new media and let their imagination come to life, while still offering a basic structure to work from. This new product, Designs for Watercoloring Pads, offer preprinted designs on a quality art surface meant to be used with watercolor paints.

Strathmore has partnered with artist Joanne Fink to feature Zenspirations® designs in these three new products. The beautiful and inspirational artwork is preprinted in black on Strathmore® 140 lb. watercolor paper, giving artists just enough structure to feel confident while they paint the design their way, letting their vision come to life. Additionally, the frame ready 5×7 size pages are perfect for framing, or to incorporate into greeting cards. Three design themes will be available in this exciting new product line:  nature, flowers or abstract designs, and each theme will have 8 unique designs within.

The quality paper is suitable for use with all sorts of watercolor media and techniques. It works well with pan sets, tubes of color, watercolor pencils, or watercolor markers. The heavy-weight paper will also withstand blending of colors, washes and lifts. Officially launched in Spring 2017, the NEW Designs for Watercoloring pad line starts shipping February 6, 2017 from Strathmore.

Strathmore Designs for Watercoloring features include:

• 140 lb. / 300 gsm watercolor paper.
• Natural white, cold press surface.
• 8 preprinted design outlines per tape-bound pad.
• 3 different design themes/pads are available: Nature, Flowers or Abstract Designs.
• Featuring Zenspirations® designs by Joanne Fink.
• Frame ready size 5×7, also great for incorporating into greeting cards.
• Encourages relaxation, mindfulness and artistic impression.
• Excellent bridge product for adult coloring into art and craft areas.
• Made in the U.S.A.

Designs for Watercoloring pads are featured on an introduction promotion, which runs through Strathmore’s Spring promotion February 3, 2017 to April 14, 2017. Learn how this new program can increase the productivity of your retail space by contacting your MacPherson sales representative today!

To help with the introduction of these exciting new Designs for Watercoloring pads, support materials for retailers include shelf labels, sell sheets, and a revised display. Information on all are all available on our Retailer and Distributor Tools section of the website at www.strathmoreartist.com Also, watch for a video supporting the Designs for Watercoloring products to arrive shortly!

Zenspirations® is a registered trademark of Joanne Fink. Strathmore® used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.

Jacquard Airbrush Colors are unique among airbrush paints. Like Jacquard’s other paints, they were formulated for optimal performance on fabric. This means they exhibit superior permanence and durability compared to other acrylic paints, making them ideal for non-traditional surfaces such as leather, vinyl, plastic, rubber, etc.

Their excellent adhesion and durability make Jacquard Airbrush Colors particularly popular among shoe, sneaker and leather painters, who require paints that will hold up well to flex and wear. As “fabric paints,” they are exceptionally flexible and resistant to cracking, chipping and peeling – more so than any other brand.

The paints also leave fabric super soft to the touch. Check out this leather jacket, for instance, which was changed from a sand color to black using the Transparent Black Airbrush Color. Coating the entire jacket with the paint didn’t change the feel or drape of the material at all!

Formulated for easy spraying right out of the bottle with no additives or adulteration required, these odorless, non-toxic and water-based fluid acrylics perform well even at low pressures, with minimal tip-dry or clogging. Available in six intermixable varieties:  Transparent, Opaque, Metallic, Fluorescent, Bright and Iridescent. All the colors are highly pigmented and intense.

Every display comes with a gallon jug of 1 oz. samples, a great way to turn your customers on to this paint. If you are interested in staff training or in-store demos please contact Jacquard to set one up!

New! Fluorescent Red

Jacquard is also on the forefront of another major trend: custom sneaker painting. Our Lumiere, Neopaque and Jacquard Airbrush Colors are known all over the world as the premiere paints for custom footwear. (This has been such an area of growth for Jacquard that we now sponsor two professional teams of celebrity sneaker painters–@jacquardusa and @jacquardteameuofficial.)

The most popular sneaker to customize is the Nike Air Jordan, and the most popular Jordan color is the iconic Infra-red. Sneaker painters call us every day asking for this color. That is why we launched the new Fluorescent Red in our Airbrush Colors line, so this sought-after color can be applied to any custom project. This is the same wildly fluorescent, true red that we offer in our Textile Colors line.
The Fluorescent Red Airbrush Color is the first of an extensive new palette of “sneaker colors,” coming soon from Jacquard.