Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

Alain Assoun, founder of Assoun Distribution near Paris in 1969 (and which was acquired by Mitsubishi Pencil Co. in 2016), announced he has left the company. The company is the exclusive distributor of uni-ball and Posca for most European countries. Maxime Brasseur has replaced Alain as General Manager of Mitsubishi Pencil France.

North American Copic agent Imagination International is in the local news for donating more than $130,000 in tools to Springfield High School in Eugene, OR Read the story here.

In Colart people news, Ryan Testa has joined this summer as Field Sales Representative with responsibilities for retail stores in the Northeast. He comes to Colart with sales experience in the education field.  You can reach Ryan at: rtesta@colartusa.com.

Margherita Imburgia has joined Colart as Fine Art Multiples (Chains) Sales Director on August 21 and her responsibilities will include stores in the Northeast. You can reach Margherita at: mimburgia@colartusa.com. 

Carole Lallay Guzman joined Colart as Field Sales Representative on September 25, 2017, covering the Southeast in an area extending north to North Carolina and West to Louisiana. She will be based in the Atlanta area. She started her career at Binders in Atlanta, and handled Sales and Project Management for a theming company in Atlanta.  Reach Carole at: cguzman@colartusa.com.

Lastly,  Dana Koeppel joined Colart on July 15, 2014, as Customer Service Representative, moved to a Junior Sales Representative in August 2017. Reach Dana at dkoeppel@colartusa.com.

Inspiring the Inner Artist in Everyone!

Iconic Art Brand Debuts New Look in the U.S. 

Reeves, the iconic British art brand with more than 250 years of heritage, has launched an extensive rebrand to empower everyone to unleash their creativity! Following the global relaunch, Reeves’ debuted the “Show Your Colours” campaign in the U.S. at the September 28 re-launch event in NYC.  Attendees were encouraged to explore their inner artist, no matter where they were on their artistic journey. The event was a true hands-on experience and featured painting rocks at the ReevesRocks station and a custom–designed DIY gallery. At the event guests truly got the chance to show their colors.

Reeves has partnered with its new U.S. collaborator, Llew Mejia. Mejia, a New York-based illustrator, has designed for numerous national lifestyle brands and will lend years of experience with textile design, pattern-making and packaging to craft custom-designed art for Reeves.

“I’m stoked to work with Reeves and help bring this new, energetic campaign to life in the U.S.,” said Llew. “I believe that art is for everyone no matter your age or experience. A quick sketch, a streak of color — we’re all capable of unleashing creativity and expressing ourselves every day.”

Reeves’ re-energized look and feel is designed to spark imagination in anyone, from established artists to the occasional doodler. Regardless of skill or knowledge, all creativity can start with a pen, pencil or brush, and Reeves is on a mission to make art accessible to all. As part of the rebrand, Reeves has launched a bold, new logo featuring a symbolic ‘r’, which is certain to become its signature. A redesigned website and social channels feature how-to videos, product information, inspiration and more.

The rebrand also includes a refresh of Reeves’ entire product portfolio, including new packaging for Paint By Numbers and Scraperfoils, providing the tools you need for your creative journey.

“It’s our goal as creative innovators to help people realize their full artistic potential by finding inspiration in their daily lives,” said Mahogany Ligon, Brand Director for Reeves. “Art is as much about coloring outside the lines as in, and we want to break down the barriers between fine art and the everyday. Through our ‘Show Your Colours’ campaign, Reeves will continue to encourage each of us to unleash creativity.”

To experience the new Reeves firsthand or to find a retailer near you, visit www.myreeves.com or @WeAreReeves on Instagram or Facebook. Share your Reeves masterpiece with the world using the hashtag #wearereeves.

About Reeves: Reeves, part of the Colart group, is one of the world’s leading creativity and lifestyle brands. Boasting a 250-year-old history of educating and inspiring artists across the world, Reeves’ ambition is to cater for a broader audience, providing the tools and inspiration to unleash creativity across the world.

GOLDEN Supports O+ Art Festivals

Founded in 2010 in Kingston, NY, by a small group of artist-activists, doctors and a dentist, O+ is a national nonprofit working in cities around the country to support the exchange of “the art of medicine for the medicine of art.” O+ brings together artist communities, health and wellness providers, and corporate sponsors to make possible the exchange of mural painting, music, poetry and other artistic performances for free medical services made available to underinsured artists. The organization’s year-round efforts culminate in one-day and weekend-long festivals in select cities. 

GOLDEN has been supporting mural artists participating in O+ for the last 4 years, but decided to heighten its participation this year in several ways:

• GOLDEN donated paints to 5 mural artists for the Kingston festival, as well as paints to mural artists at the Poughkeepsie, NY, and Haverhill, MA, events earlier this summer.
• Mark Golden spoke on a panel at the Kingston event in collaboration with the Good Work Institute, engaging the audience in the importance of building communities and how to sustain those communities in the future.
• GOLDEN was a lead monetary sponsor for the Kingston festival this year.
• GOLDEN sponsored 15 optometry appointments in Kingston.
• GOLDEN supplied a bus for close to 30 staff members to attend the Kingston event and experience all that the O+ Festival has to offer.

To learn more about the O+ Festival, visit http://opositivefestival.org/. For more information about the Good Work Institute, go to https://goodworkinstitute.org/.

GOLDEN Sites Now “Responsive”

All three GOLDEN websites for its brands are now “responsive,” making it easier for site visitors to navigate the sites on smart phones & tablets. The most recent changes were made to the GoldenPaints.com website. One of the areas on the site most affected by this upgrade was the Store Locator section, so now consumers will experience improved functionality and search results. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, please do so and especially on your smartphone or tablet!

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

Strathmore is excited to introduce new Metallic Sketch Journals, featuring 200 Series Sketch paper inside. With flexible but sturdy 18pt. covers, these journals come in both brushed silver and hammered copper finishes. They are great for on-location sketching and practicing techniques with pencil, charcoal, sketching stick, pastel, and other dry media. They are also great for consumers who want a unique upscale-looking sketch pad to capture their daily notes and ideas.

Metallic products continue to trend with consumers, and these new journals allow artists to add some luxury to their daily sketch pads without a large price tag. These “affordable luxury” items include thoughtful details, while keeping economics in mind. These journals are beautiful and durable, making them perfect to go anywhere!

Metallic Sketch Journal features include:

• Strathmore 200 Series Sketch paper: 50 lb. / 74 gsm, 80 sheets per journal
• Two sizes of journals available in both colors: 5.5” x 8.5” or 9” x 12”
• Fashion-forward 18 pt. covers with simulated aged copper or brushed steel finishes
• Durable wire binding coordinates to metallic covers. Silver wire on steel covers, brown wire on copper covers
• Back chipboard of product is printed with metallic ink, complementing the textured covers
• Tasteful Strathmore branding located on back cover of products
• Removable packaging fly sheet allows metallic covers to be seen at retail
• Acid-Free
• Made in the U.S.A.

The expansion of the art journal program is another example of Strathmore’s commitment to develop innovative new products that meet the needs of artists, help grow the market, and create in-store news and excitement for retailers.

Metallic Sketch Journals are featured in Strathmore’s holiday promotion, which is currently running through early November. Look for Metallic Sketch items SM25-535, SM25-539, SM25-545, and SM25-549, and learn how the new these new journals can increase the productivity of your retail space by contacting your MacPherson’s Account Manager today.

Don’t forget, you can look for additional retail support materials, including new Toned Mixed Media Art Journal shelf labels, images, and other great items on Strathmore’s Retailer Tools site at: StrathmoreArtist.com

The New Artist & Art Materials Survey went live on Monday, October 16, and stays open through mid-November.

• Here’s the link:

•  The survey gathers the demographics, brand preferences and insights of a wide variety of North American consumers engaged the making of art. It produces a trove of actionable information that suppliers and retailers can take advantage of.  Non-NAMTA members are welcome to promote the survey, though only members can view the reports.
•  Help NAMTA get the word out by promoting the survey to your artist customers – see the details on the Artist Survey Promotional Page

FAQ’s

• The focus of the 2018 study is active artists, typically those who have created ten or more artworks in the past year
• The study will cover the USA and Canadian artist markets
• The results will be FREE for NAMTA members in 2018
• Help NAMTA get the Fourth Edition of the Artists & Art Materials Survey out to your customers – and give your customers a chance to win one of five $100 gift certificates to their NAMTA member store of choice.

Now available through MacPherson’s: Jacquard’s Piñata Alcohol Inks in a 4 oz. size! The Piñata product line and NEW 4 oz. Piñata display both come with 22 colors (including three NEW metallics: Copper, Brass and Pearl), Piñata Clean Up solution and Piñata Clear Extender.

When Jacquard launched Piñata Colors in 2002, alcohol inks were virtually unheard of. Since then, this unique category has become extremely popular, especially with artists working on non-porous surfaces like tile, Yupo, metal, glass, plastic, stone, leather, polymer clay and more. That is why Jacquard is offering a new display of 4 oz. inks.

Piñata Colors are highly saturated, fast-drying alcohol inks for any hard surface. Indelible and impervious to water once dry, Piñata Colors clean up with alcohol and re-wet themselves, allowing for unique effects and techniques not easily achieved with water-based systems. As a dye-based, highly transparent ink*, Piñata Colors are unparalleled for vibrancy, and only the most lightfast dyes have been selected for the palette. Acid-free with excellent adhesive properties, Piñata Colors have become the go-to inks for any non-porous surface.

The pigmented palette of Piñata inks has grown.  034 Copper and 035 Brass are beautiful metallic colors made from real metal pigments (like the super popular 033 Silver and 032 Rich Gold) that glisten and shine. The metallic white 036 Pearl is made with super reflective mica pigment and is terrific for mixing with the dye-based colors to create entirely new palettes of pearlescent inks. These three new colors are opaque, lightfast and shine with unparalleled luster. The Piñata metallic colors are perfect for scrapbookers and paper artists whenever a true metallic is desired, as well as for oil painters, acrylic painters, window painters, sculptors and crafters of all kinds.

*030 Blanco Blanco, 032 Rich Gold, 033 Silver, 034 Copper, 035 Brass & 036 Pearl are pigment-based, super-opaque and entirely lightfast.

Please check out Jacquard’s Instagram for some Piñata inspiration: