Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

Natasha Nicholson-Bjerre, MacPherson’s VP of HR, is leaving the company for educational pursuits. Natasha started an MBA program last year and will be taking a year off to focus on completion of her degree. In the 11 years she has been here Natasha’s contributions to MacPherson’s have been many, and she will be missed greatly by all of us. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team she has been a key contributor to the strategic leadership of the company and made HR a critical factor in our recent success. We wish Natasha much success with her education and in the future. We are actively recruiting for a Director of Human Resources to assume this important leadership role, and Natasha will remain with us during this transition period.

Nancy Hensel, Blick’s VP of Merchandising will be retiring on May 26th. Well respected within the art supply community, Nancy Joined the company in 2002 and assumed her current role in 2008.  Philip Vernau will be stepping up to take on Nancy’s responsibilities at the end of May.

Jay Mittel

With sadness we report the passing of Jay Mittel founder and proprietor of Mittel’s Art & Frame Center in Santa Monica, CA. He was 91 and is survived by three daughters, Jody Throckmorton and Camillle Hicks of Thousand Oaks and Julie Marés of Eagle, Idaho; two sons, Chris Mittel of Calabasas and John Mittel of Simi Valley; 15 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, a great-great-grandson; and nieces and nephews.

Peter Rossing, owner of Portland Oregon art supply store Muse Art has announced that he will be shutting down his business for good after conducting a Going Out of Business sale that will begin on March 1^st. More details http://www.museartanddesign.com/

Painted Rocks as a bridge builder between a polarized swing state population is showing up as a growing trend on Facebook. Check out this article from a Cleveland News site

Dennis van Schie the CEO at ColArt was invited to speak to journalists at the BBC about the future of the company and how he is transforming ColArt to meet the growing demands of the creative industry.

Accent Arts in Palo Alto, CA is relocating across the street to its longtime storage facility and will also be changing its name to Accent Arts in the Alley to commemorate its new location in the one-way alley.  Check out the story here

Since its creation in 2005, Etsy.com says it has grown to more than 27 million buyers in almost every country. The website, which sells vintage and handmade items, is now moving into the craft supply industry with its latest creation, Etsy Studio. Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson explains on CBS This Morning

According to the office supply news blog OPI, Frankfurt Paperworld’s visitor and exhibitor numbers were down for the second year. The official numbers revealed that 33,558 visitors came to the event, a 9% drop from 2016. Exhibitor numbers fell by 5% to 1,525, with 58 different countries represented, down from 59 last year.  For readers not able to attend this year’s show here is ColArt’s video from the show that gives a sense of the event and the scale of ColArt’s stand (booth)

Did you know that indigo

• was once referred to as “Blue Gold?”
• occurs naturally in various plants (and mollusks) found all over the world?
• was independently discovered and cultivated by diverse and distant cultures throughout history?
• is still associated with political power and religious ritual?
• was used by the Romans as a pigment for painting as well as for medicinal and cosmetic purposes?

The earliest examples of indigo-dyed textiles trace back to numerous cultures throughout history: from the mummies of ancient Egypt and Peru (both over 6,000 years ago), to the manuscripts of Mesopotamia (2,600 years ago), where cuneiform tablets were found with the recipe for dying wool blue. Most cultures developed resist techniques for creating patterned indigo fabrics, and each has their own unique tradition and characteristics, from the folded shibori of Japan to the wax batiks of India. Even today, every pair of blue jeans you see has been dip-dyed in an indigo vat, using the same dye and process we’ve been using for millennia.

The color Indigo is an extremely popular all year round. It is being used for hair, nails, scarves, handkerchiefs, shirts, interior design such as throw pillow, blankets, sheets, chair and couch covers, accent walls and lamp shades. Take a look at Jacquard’s Pinterest board all about the love of Indigo for some inspiration! Pinterest Indigo Inspiration  With Jacquard’s indigo kit available through MacPherson’s (item number JAC9410, MSRP $11.99) this trend is brought to the backyard dyer in the safest and easiest to use formulation ever available – all you need is a bucket of water and a sink or hose! This unique and essential dyeing experience is now accessible to anyone, even children can be involved in the magic of watching the dipped fabric change from bright green to deep blue as the indigo oxidizes and becomes permanent. With a resurgence of interest in indigo and “ethnic” patterns in the fashion world, this kit is sure to be a favorite with almost anyone who tries it.

New Watercolor Paper

Winsor & Newton is introducing a NEW watercolor paper range at NAMTA 2017. All items in the collection have been created in the tradition of fine papermaking, the finest raw materials have been used and all papers are cylinder mould made. Artists can choose from two tiers of paper: The Classic Collection offers users a superb paper at an opening price point. Included in the range are spiral and glued pads, postcards and a sheet, all using 140# cold pressed paper.

For the fine artist who is looking for outstanding quality papers, the Winsor & Newton Professional level watercolor paper is produced of 100% cotton and features a wide offering including Cold Pressed, Hot Pressed and Rough papers in both 140# and 300# weights. The Professional range includes sheets, a journal, as well as a variety of pads and blocks in the best-selling sizes.

The entire collection is internally and externally sized and all items are acid free with no optical brighteners. Expect exceptional strength and performance in every sheet. These watercolor papers will stand the test of time.

New Stretched Canvas

Also new to Winsor & Newton is a completely updated range of Canvas. The NEW Winsor & Newton Canvas collection features 184 products in a variety of materials and sizes. This new canvas range surpasses Winsor & Newton’s previous offering and includes both cotton and linen surfaces. The line also includes two tiers, Classic and Professional, offering both an opening price point and a more advanced offering which includes the new innovative stretching device, specifically made for Winsor & Newton, the ProStretcher™. The ProStretcher™ is an exclusive stretching device that is only available on the Professional range and aids the user in perfecting surface tension of the canvas. It is easy to use, small and compact and is a truly exciting addition to the line.

Williamsburg Oils “Artist Picks” Spring Promotion

In order to continue to drive trial of unique Williamsburg Oil Colors, GOLDEN has developed a countertop display highlighting 4 colors endorsed by professional artist testimony and usage suggestions. Colors featured are Courbet Green, Payne’s Grey Violet, Prussian Blue, and Raw Umber. The countertop display is available at an additional 15% to retailers. Items featured in the countertop display are eligible for a MAP of 40% off list price during the promotional period. The promotion period runs from April 3 to May 26, 2017. The retailer order and shipping period is from March 20 to May 12. Orders placed via distribution will drop ship to store.

WB “Artist Picks” Counter Unit – Item # WB6008P30-0, UPC # 738797965393, List Price $270.24

Please contact your MacPherson’s Account Manager with any questions about the above-mentioned trade and consumer promotions in addition to other upcoming Sales and Marketing initiatives with the QoR Watercolor brand of products.

GOLDEN Introduces New Packaging Utilizing Post-Consumer Recycled Material

In alignment with Golden Artist Color’s aspirations for environmental sustainability,  the company will begin introducing 25% post-consumer resin on some of its cylinder and jar packages. By collaborating with Cortland Plastics and Empire Emco, two local New York companies, GOLDEN was able to secure new containers and will introduce the packaging change to customers within the first quarter of 2017.

With this packaging transition, there will be no change to the dimensions or shape of the containers. It is possible that customers will notice a very slight change in the container color, with minimal cloudiness, as compared to current packaging.

Containers affected by the change are as follows:

• Cylinders
  • 1 oz., 4 oz., 8 oz., 16 oz.
• Jars
  • 8 oz., 16 oz., 32 oz.

GOLDEN will continue to consider future opportunities where utilization of post-consumer resin aligns with corporate strategies and initiatives. If you have any questions about this change, please contact Regulatory Affairs Director, Ben Gavett at bgavett@goldenpaints.com.