Art Materials Retailer Q2 2019 by Fahy-Williams Publishing

For People Who Sell Art Supplies

Q2 2019

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hand, I would certainly expect that we could. If we learned nothing else from the rise and fall of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites, we should at least remember what happens to economies from which competition has been removed. My favorite example was the division of Germany into East and West, which provided a rare opportunity to study the effect of one environment versus another, much like studying twins who are separated at birth. You could choose any industry, but being a car guy I like to look at automobiles. While West Germany was developing international icons of luxury and performance, including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi and BMW, East Germany produced something called a Trabant. By any standards, they were ugly, unreliable, slow, dirty and unsafe. They lacked such obvious advancements as seatbelts, turn signal indicators and fuel gauges, and produced such clouds of smoke that you could barely see them. You wouldn’t find a fuel door on the outside of the car (look under the hood) but you would find open screws holding the body together. Here’s the kicker. A new Trabant cost more than a new Mercedes. For those of you who aren’t car people, or think that it couldn’t happen here, or simply can’t

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There’s a lot of talk about socialism these days, and most of it goes around in circles. The reason for that lack of direction is that the term means different things to different people, many of whom have very strong feelings about whatever they think it means. To some, it simply means social programs, like Social Security and Medicare. To others, it means an economic system in which the “means of production,” such as factories and raw materials, belong to the public as a whole. If we’re talking about the former, there is not necessarily a conflict with private ownership of businesses in what we call a free enterprise system, or capitalism. In the case of the latter, the government controls the production of goods and services. To be clear, I’m a capitalist. Like most people, I am in favor of social programs, provided that they actually help people who need it and that they don’t bankrupt the republic in the process. I won’t pretend to know what those programs should be, what rules should govern them or what level of funding they should require from taxpayers. Distinguished economists disagree vehemently with each other on the subject, so I don’t really see the rest of us coming to any sort of consensus. When it comes to governmental

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For People Who Sell Art Supplies

Quarter 2 2019

Cover image by Ashley Cavanagh

Perspective Private Drive by Kevin Fahy

What Art Movement are We In Today? An interview with B. Eric Rhoads, publisher of Fine Art Connoisseur and PleinAir magazine

Artful Behavior Artists are sculpting with Ranger’s new QuickCure Clay, drawing in C2F’s Pentalic 365 Sketchbooks, and producing panoramic scenes using Dibond Aluminum Composite Material

How to Encourage Impulse Buys and Unplanned Purchases Improve sales of your impulse items with tips and tricks from Francesca Nicasio from Vend

FACES from Art Materials World

That Old Black Magic Black paper for watercolor is a hit

Endcap It Took Pluck An interview with Paint Puck’s Dawson Cannon

46 24 30 36 40 43 44

Retailers Recommend New & True Products Industry News Business Notes Art Materials Retailer Welcomes Two New Advertisers Index of Advertisers

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“Perspective” from page 3

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and the DMV employees. Many of those conversations seemed rather personal in nature, but the service windows were right next to the waiting room, and, as I said, I didn’t have anything else to do. The wait also gave me time to think about the place, how dingy it was, its lack of public restrooms, the cheap plastic chairs, and so on. Although I had tried to pick a day and time that would be less crowded than usual it was still very busy, and yet one of the three

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visualize a retail operation in a marketplace without competition, I have another example. It’s a place that most Americans have been to, and a place to which no one wishes to return. It’s the Motor Vehicle Department. In recent years, at least in my home state of New York, it has become much easier to avoid the place, mostly thanks to the internet. There are still situations, however, that require a personal visit, and I was faced with one of those in early March. The DMV location had changed since my last trip, but the new place was every bit as inadequate as the previous one. The waiting room was about the size of my office, with chairs around the perimeter which were all taken. Several people were obliged to stand. It was winter in upstate New York, so everyone was wearing a heavy coat, but it was hot as hell in the waiting room. A couple of times while I was there someone came in, took a number, and left, apparently knowing from experience how to time the wait. My own wait lasted 40 minutes, during which my only diversion was listening to the conversations between people trying to register vehicles (or whatever)

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windows was closed. When my turn finally came they asked what I was there for, and then gave me a bunch of forms to fill out, which seemed like something I could have been doing for the past 40 minutes. I was there to get an “enhanced” driver’s license, meaning that it can be used for identification purposes. That being the case, I thought it was a little odd that they just took my word for my height and eye color. As for my vision, they asked me to read a line on a chart, which had been hanging on the wall in plain sight for the entire time that I had been sitting there with my glasses on. I not only passed the vision test, I also passed the test where they try to think of some document that you

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need but don’t have. This wasn’t my first rodeo. After jumping through all the hoops and handing over $90, I was good to go. Now I just had to wait two weeks for a plastic ID card that any wholesale club could have issued on the spot for free. Okay, perhaps I’m being a little hard on the DMV.

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“Perspective” from page 5

To be fair, the employees were friendly, cheerful, and well-versed in all the bureaucratic red tape that binds the place. They were doing their best in a system they didn’t create. Nonetheless, that system doesn’t compare well to free enterprise. How do you suppose the DMV might operate differently if you could buy a driver’s license from somebody else? Competition is not always fun, especially when you are the smaller dog in the fight, but it is amazingly effective at making us all better. To prove that point, I need look no further than the people who read this magazine. Ever since we took over the publication of Art Materials Retailer 20-some years ago, the competition in the marketplace has been brutal. First it was the chain stores, then the big boxes, and finally the internet. The retailers who survived are faster, more efficient, more capable, and just generally better than they used to be. Although I live in New York I spend a lot of time in Florida, and a couple of times I have needed to visit the Motor Vehicle Department down there. Surprisingly, I found that it was remarkably nicer and easier to deal with than the ones up north. Maybe it’s not surprising. It occurs to me that the Florida DMV does actually have someone to compete against. It’s competing against the one up here.

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You can e-mail Kevin at kfahy@fwpi.com.

ArtMaterialsRetailer.com • Q2 2019

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What art movement are we in today? An interview with B. Eric Rhoads

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It’s a good question. A few years ago, Canadian artist Elizabeth Reoch’s asked it; wondering how society was connecting to art at the moment, and if there were new movements brewing that she would eventually want to join. A lively online discussion ensued. It’s a question that we should pose more often, since art is evolving into new movements all the time; impacted by technology, globalization, architectural styles, fashion, and pop culture, to name just a few influences. Art movements are hot topics that affect so many of us, not the least of whom are the folks who create art and the folks who sell them their supplies. If you are like Elizabeth and wonder what’s next, you might be interested in what Eric Rhoads, chairman of Streamline Publishing, has to say. His family business prints Fine Art Connoisseur and PleinAir magazines, and publishes several weekly enewsletters including Fine Art Today, Plein Air Today, Realism Today, and American Watercolor. He talked to us recently about two art movements that are expanding in measurable numbers: academic realism and (no surprise here) plein air.

AMR: How do you take the pulse of an art movement like plein air? BER: When I started PleinAir magazine, I thought there was a movement, but it turned out to be a very small number of people overall. At the time, there were probably a couple-hundred plein air painters and only about five events. Today we estimate there are 250,000 plein air painters, based on an easel study we did of manufacturers who sell tripod-based easels, and probably 50,000 highly active people – and this does not include easels sold in retail locations. Also, there are about 300 citywide plein air events around the country that bring artists in and have shows. We’re learning many buyers at those shows become painters. We have had a million or more downloads for the plein air podcast, and PleinAir magazine is the numberone-selling magazine in the art/photography category at Barnes & Noble nationwide. Historian Jean Stern, executive director of The Irvine Museum Collection at UC Irvine, says it is the largest movement in the history of art in terms of number of people participating.

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How can stores that sell art materials meet the needs of these painters? The first answer is to understand that this exists and it’s a pretty big movement. Putting together store displays with what you need to paint outdoors, packs of books, paints, panels, easels, etc. will help. Bringing painters in to do seminars or lessons would be helpful. Education is always powerful. Lots of people don’t know the word “plein air,” so we tend to start by simply explaining that it’s painting outdoors, much like Monet and the impressionists. Putting PleinAir magazine in stores might make sense for some. Stocking books or videos on plein air painting is also helpful.

• • • • •

Who are these artists? What are the demographics? They’re fairly wide, though there seems to be a bubble on both ends. The biggest group appears to be those who want something more from life than their careers, who often take up painting before retiring and then go fullforce once retired. Then, of course, there are a lot of young people, probably ages 25 to 45, taking it up. As I watch Instagram, I see thousands in this category. Of course

•

there are many in the middle as well, but the growth seems to be on both ends. Boomers have the time, and often have ample spending capability.

Are there some artists who are better suited to plein air than others, maybe those who have a looser style, who work fast, or who are good drawers? I don’t think so. Plein air painting has a wide range from loose and impressionistic to tight and classic. For instance, Ken Salaz, Rick Wilson or Eric Koppel paint like the original Hudson River School painters with a tight, somewhat dark, style. There is no right or wrong, it’s about expressing your voice, your color and feel.

To what do you attribute its growth? It’s hard to pin down to one thing, though I think that the answer comes from the sense of community; much of which we’ve worked hard to create. There is a convention, many painters’ events that we create, and there are many other events – more workshops and more educational videos. Lifestyle is the key. People love the plein air lifestyle because they get to be creative, get to be outdoors in nature, can travel, can paint with friends (it’s very social) and it’s challenging, yet something you can do your whole life even into your 100s. Because of the events, there are more collectors than ever, more of them taking up painting themselves, and more artists able to make a living.

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“Casa Campastre III” acrylic on canvas by Trini Cott

“Long Pond Adirondacks” (top) acrylic on board and “Lake-to-Lake Afternoon” oil on canvas by Mark Stash

“Box, Cherries, Dish” and “Atlas Ball” oil on canvas by Amy Colburn

The thing most studio artists discover is that plein air helps them see light, color, and form better, because photos cannot compete with what you see in nature. Getting outside makes a studio painter a better painter because it feels more real.

Academic realism – how can you tell that it’s becoming a movement? Andy Warhol predicted this movement back in the 1970s, and said that if a small group of 100 artists start painting in this way, it will eventually become the big art

movement in America. We tend to think of abstract as modern painting, yet it’s now more than 100 years old, and most kids grew up in homes where their parents and grandparents had abstract on their walls. Today’s young people want new and cutting

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edge – they always have – and the avant-garde today is realism painting. It’s shunned by the abstract and modern art society, which is exactly why abstract and modern became so cool – it was shunned by society. It’s the old story of kids not wanting to do what their parents do, and it’s about the return to analog, something that is well crafted and handmade, requiring true skill. All of that appeals very much to today’s youth. But most colleges are out of touch and not teaching life drawing and classical painting; most professors don’t know how and have no interest. The result is that we’ve seen more than 100 ateliers spring up since we founded Fine Art Connoisseur magazine 15 years ago. When I first started, there were about five places in the world to learn. Now these schools are overflowing with 20-year-olds who want to paint like this.

They’re millennials? I’d say that most of them are ages 20 to 45, with some leaders in their 50s and 60s. There is a bubble of boomers who are also interested in learning. But the lion’s share of this market is young people.

What are some of the movement’s characteristics?

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Subject matter is typically portrait and figure, but also still life, and they are painting using the techniques of the 19-century Salon or the old masters. Thus, old techniques of layering, underpainting, and glazing are often employed. Subjects are often classical in form, yet there are some brilliant artists like Casey Baugh who add an edge to it. Artists to look into are Jacob Collins, Daniel Graves, and John Michael Angel, who have been leaders in the movement. We saw such strong interest that we started a conference called The Figurative Art Convention & Expo (FACE), which is made up of museum-quality artists and those who strive to be. It’s a place people can go to learn these techniques and share community.

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The range is wide depending on who they are following for guidance. For example, Eric Johnson, teaches Rembrandt techniques and is hand grinding pigments with a limited four- or six-color palette, including stack lead white. Others, like students at Philadelphia’s Studio Incamminati, are using a wide palette of multiple colors and multiple whites for different purposes. Most are using quality paints, lots of mediums and glazes, often copper panels and traditional canvas. Quality materials matter because these are often paintings that take months to create.

What materials are they using?

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What is the appeal of academic realism for the person creating it? For the people collecting it?

“Portraits after Malcolm Liepke” oil on canvas by Katherine Donahue Just like contemporary artist Malcolm Liepke learned by studying John Singer Sargent, artist Katherine Donahue in Rochester, New York, studies Liepke. Known for his “nimblycreated” figures, Liepke dropped out of art school (“They were promoting superficial and trendy techniques. I wanted to paint like the masters I saw in museums.”) and headed to New York. He immersed himself in the study of Sargent, Whistler Velázquez, and Toulouse-Latrec. He absorbed their technique and vision and came up with a style all his own.

The appeal is its measurable quality. You can tell if a drawing is off, if the arm is too long or the body is out of proportion. The appeal is that it’s exact, developing highly advanced painting and drawing skills, perfect skin tones and tight appearing paintings (though there is a sector also doing loose, more impressionistic works).

What’s your advice for art materials retailers? Keep visitors informed of trends, highlight artists and techniques, and carry the depth of materials these artists have interest in – which may include, in some cases,

raw pigment, mullers, oils, drying oils, lead whites, etc. There seems to be interest in high quality materials that are beyond student grade. As a serial entrepreneur, Eric has launched a variety of companies and media brands, and created startups and built businesses for the last 30-or-so years. Streamline Media, which he founded in 1986, produces magazines, digital media, information products and video in the art industry, as well as in the radio broadcasting industry. Eric is also portrait and landscape artist whose work is represented by galleries in Napa Valley, Santa Fe, and his hometown in Indiana.

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Artful Behavior

“ What are artists creating with your products?” Over the Moon Last year at Creativation, how-to book author Vesta Abel demonstrated how easy it was to make fancy buttons (for apparel) using Ranger’s QuickCure Clay. “It’s great for teachers and retailers who do make-and-takes because you have a beautiful completed project in five minutes. It will take the craft market by storm!” It’s a great medium for Vesta, a renowned Tucson maker. Right now she’s writing a book on its many artistic uses, complete with examples she’s created herself. Mixed-media artist Jamie Dougherty – whose techniques range from dimensional sculpting to watercolor to mixed media journaling and scrapbooking – agrees. “I’ve used all kinds of clay since high school, from standard earth clay to polymer clay and airdry clay, but when I got to play with this, I was really excited. It’s a game changer.” The magic is in the cure, which occurs in minutes using a heat gun – no kiln or oven needed. “It’s simple and quick,” she explains. “The finished product is strong and durable. It’s perfect for sculptors, paper crafters, jewelry makers, and mixed-media artists.” Jamie demoed the clay at the Ranger booth at Art Materials World by completing a sculpture she started at home (see this issue’s front cover). She built the base and put it in her carryon bag when she left for San Antonio. “That gives you an idea of how strong the clay is – five times stronger than polymer oven-baked clays.

It’s also more weather resistant, so it can be used in outdoor applications.” She finished it at the booth. “You can add new clay to an already cured piece,” she notes. “I completed the base in steps; working on it a bit every day. I just picked up where I left off. You don’t have cover it or wet it – it just doesn’t dry out until you cure it!” To color the sculpture, Jamie used Ranger’s Alcohol inks. They allow the clay’s natural texture and finish to show through the colors. It has a stoneware-type finish – a fun, organic look.” The possibilities for decorating the cured clay with other mediums are endless, she adds. Ranger suggests using its Archival Inks, Vintaj Patinas, Perfect Pearls, and/ or Embossing Powders. “Applying embossing powders right after cooling will create a glaze-like effect,” says rangerink.com. QuickCure Clay expands slightly so it can be cured firmly in bezels. It adheres to wood, paper and many plastics. It was invented by Dr. John Pojman, a professor of chemistry at Louisiana State University. “I was interested in polymer reactions that could organize themselves the ways these do, and now my push is, ‘Let’s do something useful with it,’” he said in 2015, in The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. “I was giving a talk one time, and someone suggested I could use it for art.” So he sent test products to an LSU art student who would sculpt with it and then

QuickCure clay adheres to any porous material. Jamie created these plaques by applying it directly to the wood and then painted it all with acrylic paint. suggest changes. After perfecting the consistency, Pojman launched his product line in 2013 – a sculpting clay, a putty that can be used in construction and home repairs, and a 2-D art medium. It was sold in art stores in New Orleans and New Mexico, says the Business Report and, “He started working with a sawmill in New Zealand to cook up a version to use in repairing cosmetic imperfections in wood.” In 2018, QuickCure Clay was licensed by Ranger.

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On January 1, the ARTspot art supply store in Edmonds, Washington, kicked off its latest customer challenge – a year-long invitation to Draw Every Day. “No matter your skill level, or whether you have an hour to paint or 10 minutes to sketch, simply pick up your sketchbook once a day,” state the promotional materials. “There are no rules about subject matter or materials. Heck, paint or write poetry in your journal if you want!” Fifty-two people signed up. Key to the success of such an ambitious special event is sponsorship, notes Store Manager Deana Glenn. “Support from artist Ron Stocke, a C2F rep, really helped this challenge come together,” she explains.

“He showed us the Pentalic 365 sketchbook set, which is appealing and perfectly packaged for the Draw-Every-Day Challenge.” The 5.5 by 8.5-inch hardbound sketchbook features 160 perforated pages of 67 lb. (100 gsm) smooth-surface, acidfree paper. Four of the books are included in each participant’s kit, along with a Stabilo Staetdler Mars Technico Pencil and a Kum 2-Step Sharpener with Lead Pointer. “We really appreciate our reps,” Deana adds. “They are a most valued resource.” The Draw-Every-Dayers purchased their kits for $125.99. Included in the price are three artist-facilitated group drawing sessions. On Saturday, March 30, Ron Stocke took event participants

Photos by Tracy Felix, reprint permission granted for use with this article

Dare to Draw Every Day

ARTspot Manager Deana Glenn points out the window display that promotes the event.

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Artist Anne Ryan with her 365 Pentalic Sketchbook in ArtSpot’s drawing-supplies section.

outside for a full-day of plein air drawing. The second session, scheduled for June 29, will be led by artist and ARTspot staffer Julia Carpenter; ARTspot owner Tracy Felix will lead the third on September 28. “You will get an hour of instruction and then folks can disperse to draw around town, at the beach, or at one of our coffee shops or parks,” explains the challenge literature. Each month, participants will also receive free art-supply “goodies” from ARTspot and a chance to win Pentalic art supplies by posting their work online. To end their year of daily drawing, a family-friendly wrap-up party and artist show-and-tell will be held on January 4, 2020. Artist Anne Ryan was one of the first ARTspot regulars to sign up. “While I haven’t yet achieved 100-percent drawing every day, this has definitely helped me draw more often. I probably draw four or five days out of the week; sometimes a little more and sometimes a bit less. Having the sketchbook on the table next to me is an easy reminder each evening to

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vices take this time for me.” Montana Summers, another of the ARTspot Draw-Every-Day artists, sums it up beautifully. “As a true beginner in drawing/ sketching, this was a perfect opportunity to motivate me to put pencil to paper with my sights on getting past the newbie sketcher’s scare of ‘successlessness.’ Another motivating factor was after taking a few introductory workshops in drawing, watercolor, and pastels, I realized that starting with a good drawing is imperative.” Planning all the details of such an event is nothing new to storeowners Tracy Felix and Denise Cole, who opened ARTspot in 2012. Their goal was to make it a hub for the region’s vibrant art community. Early on they discovered that challenges like Draw Every Day incite customers to create. Among the events they’ve organized are Inktober, a daily challenge during October to make art using only black ink on white paper, and The Great

ARTspot Paint-Over, in which artists are challenged to paint over a single canvas up to 30 times. Anywhere from 30 to 40 participants take part in each event. The challenges feature a specific kit accompanied by studio sessions, unlimited technical advice, a store coupon, and a celebration at the end. “The party always validates and inspires the artists, along with all who come to see what they have achieved,” explains Tracy. In addition to a carefully curated product selection, ARTspot offers classes and other support for artists who live, work and shop in the area. “ARTspot believes in the inherent creativity of every person, at every stage of life,” say the owners. “The process of making art is inherent to being human, to expression, and to a healthy, holistic life. We provide access to quality materials, professional artists’ advice, and support for those seeking the expression of their artistic voice.”

Artist and store staffer Julia Carpenter with the kit.

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Art Appears Among the Bones

Photos © Ian Kirkpatrick

Contemporary artist and graphic designer Ian Kirkpatrick recently completed a commissioned piece for Oxford University Museum of Natural History. The work was manufactured on six panels of Dibond aluminum composite material, manufactured by 3A Composites USA. The unique material consists of two pre-painted sheets of 0.012-inch aluminum bonded to a solid polyethylene core. It’s approximately one-half the weight of aluminum. 3A Composites boasts that Dibond is also the flattest panel on the market, and a superior surface for direct digital printing. It can also can be routed and returned to add dimension, or roll-formed to deliver sweeping curves. It offers durability in outdoor applications and won’t bow or oil can. Kirkpatrick’s piece accompanied the museum’s temporary exhibition, “Settlers: Genetics, Geography and the peopling of Britain.” His work was selected for its bold style, which serves in sharp contrast to the Victorian neo-Gothic architectural design of the museum, founded in 1860. “I decided to produce a big panoramic artwork exploring the different causes and effects of human movement around the world,” he explains. “The piece is

p g

designed like a giant landscape filled with people moving in various directions – some of them fleeing conflict zones or famine, some migrating towards cities, some exploring new lands and frontiers.” Four large panels measuring nearly 12 feet tall by 5 feet wide were installed as a panoramic scene within the historic building’s first-floor stone archways and columns. Two smaller panels – measuring approximately 8 feet tall by 3 feet wide – were fitted for display within stone arches near the museum’s “Settlers” exhibition. “I had to rearrange the design of the graphics to match the exact shape of the archways,” said Kirkpatrick. “We had to measure the arches very carefully because they were built in the 1800s. I then re-drew the measured arches in Adobe Illustrator and fit the artwork into the arch shapes.” He sent the images to Dock Street Signs. Using a Durst Rho 1312 flatbed printer and UV inks, the signmakers digitally direct-printed the artwork on 3mm white Dibond panels. Each of the six Dibond graphic panels arrived as two printed halves that would be seamed together for installation – a process that would pose its own unique set of challenges because the historic building is “listed” in England and its stonework must be preserved intact – no drilling or gluing allowed. So the museum’s building manager devised hand-cut plywood pieces to fit snuggly on the capitals and support the artwork – without allowing the Dibond panels to rest on the stone.“We bolted the pieces horizontally together, made sure the images were aligned, and then bolted them into the wood,” said Kirkpatrick. “We used adhesive tape between the two panel halves to make sure that they were flush.” Kirkpatrick is a Canadian artist who moved to England with his wife in 2007. He works from a studio in Leeds. With manufacturing facilities in Benton, Kentucky, Glasgow, Kentucky, and Statesville, North Carolina, 3A Composites USA serves the graphic display and architectural markets in North America, South America and Central America. Its brands include Fome-Cor, Sintra, FiberMate, Gator, Dibond and Alucobond.

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“I’ve been using Heritage for over a year and I l-o-v-e it! ” “It is a great paper! I have already painted several watercolors on this very good, very soft paper! ” “Awesome paper. It handles anything.” “I’ve loved Canson ever since I started painting and you’re making me love it even more with Heritage! ” cansonpaper_northamerica #cansonheritage

A beautiful and distinctive 100% Cotton watercolor paper made on a traditional cylinder mould machine with next generation, non-gelatin internal & surface sizing. Offers ideal absorbency, exceptional rendering, perfect washes, superior strength, and color intensity. Available at Fine Art Retailers canson.com

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How to Encourage Impulse Buys and Unplanned Purchases by Francesca Nicasio Retail Expert and Content Strategist, Vend Impulse purchases account for a significant chunk of the consumer spending pie. According to a study by Marketing Support Inc. and Leo J. Shapiro and Associates, about one-third of all consumers make a sizeable impulse buy every week, with a median purchase of $30. The numbers look even better for brick-and-mortar retailers. Research by A.T. Kearney indicates that 40 percent of consumers spend more money than they had planned in stores, while only 25 percent reported online impulse shopping. “Online retailers are jealous,” notes Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor. “They can’t create an emotional connection to an object. They can’t show serendipity, like when a shopper is looking for a crib and suddenly sees a frog umbrella. They aren’t able to romance a product a shopper hadn’t even considered.” Obviously, your brick-and-mortar store has a lot of things going for it in the impulse-buy department, but are you using its power and resources wisely? Here are a few pointers.

Increase visibility “Seeing is buying” says Specialty Retailer. Donald R. Lichtenstein, a professor of marketing and associate dean at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business, told the publication that getting customers to see your product is the first and most important step in impulse buying.

“Being in their faces, and placing the focus clearly on what you’re selling so that they can make a quick selection, sums up what a retail storeowner needs to do,” he stated. One effective tactic to get shoppers to see your impulse products is signage. For signs, remember that red and yellow draw attention. That being said, your store sells color so the sky’s the limit. Feel free to test out a variety of color combinations that may better appeal to your artist customers.

Be strategic with positioning Part of increasing visibility (and sales) with impulse purchases entails placing the merchandise where customers are sure to see it. The two most effective ways to pull this off is by positioning impulse products at the checkout area and by placing them near your bestsellers. Placing products at the checkout zone is a common and highly effective tactic. Shoppers who are at the point-ofsale area are already in the mood to buy, so the chances of them making additional purchases are relatively higher. Another option is to have those items near the checkout queue. Speaking of cues, take one from Victoria’s Secret. Most of its stores feature fixtures near the checkout counter that contain inexpensive lip glosses, trial size fragrances, and other small, branded items. Not only are they attractively displayed, these products typically come with a promotion (“Buy two get two free!”) that further

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entices shoppers. Before you place impulse products near your prominent sellers, determine which parts of your store customers head to most frequently. What items do most of them usually go for? Strategically place merchandise near these areas or products to increase their visibility. It helps if the merchandise you want to promote complements the bestsellers, like placing large brushes near a display of big canvases or board.

Choose impulse products wisely The best impulse products are the ones that are easy to grab – both physically and mentally.

Keep them simple. “Such products don’t need a lot of explaining,” explained business consultant Lynn Switanowski on ABC News. “They sell themselves because shoppers understand what they do.”

Consider testing the impulsepurchase quality of the new and original items in your store – especially if they are handy and low-cost – to see how customers react.

Hit the right psychological triggers

Use online and mobile technology

Make your impulse buys more noticeable and enticing by pushing the right consumer buttons. Try adding a “today only” description in signage to create urgency, for instance, or throw in a special offer so that shoppers see that they’re getting a good deal. Often, if a product looks fresh or novel enough, you don’t necessarily need to add a note of urgency or a value highlight.

A study on shopping behavior found that social media, mobile apps, and SMS marketing can drive unplanned visits or purchases. According to Mobile Commerce Daily, “Twenty-one percent of respondents say they make more unplanned purchases because of shopping apps, 20 percent do the same because of retailer texts and 22 percent respond to retailer social media. These were the highest

PUT THE GREAT OUTDOORS ON YOUR SHELVES. As the sun begins to shine and flowers bloom, many artists head outside for fresh air and inspiration. Golden Acrylics, Williamsburg Oils, and QoR Watercolors offer thoughtfully composed sets for plein air painting. Contact your GOLDEN Distributor or Representative for details.

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scoring tools in terms of encouraging shoppers to make more unplanned purchases.” Be sure to leverage online and mobile tools to increase impulse store visits and purchases. If you’re on social media, make sure your fans are in the loop by posting news about items or promotions. Do the same thing via e-mail and text. Grab the opportunity to bring people into your shop by alerting subscribers whenever you have something happening in your store. Just don’t overdo it. Keep messages relevant, and only alert people who have opted onto your list.

Train your associates in the art of suggestive selling

NO.AM032019

We're Waiting for YOU!

Become a



Let’s say a customer is holding a sketch pad. From that point, you can recommend any type of marker, pencil, or watercolor and brushes. Suggestive selling works even better if the recommended items are on sale. Shoppers love getting a deal. To be a successful suggestive seller, though, you really have to get to know the customer and establish a connection. Otherwise, you can’t make relevant recommendations. Reese Evans, a former retail associate, recommends using suggestive selling to address objections. “If someone is in your store and saying things like, ‘I’m not sure about this…’ retailers should grab the opportunity to suggestive sell. The fact that the customer is eliminating items he might not like means he is seriously considering buying. If he weren’t, then he would have walked out of the store already.”

Certified Instructor! 1.800.262.7677

You can also encourage impulse buys for moderately-priced or even higher-priced merchandise. The key is training your associates to practice suggestive selling. When associates develop rapport with shoppers, they are in a much better position to recommend unplanned purchases. Remember that the products they recommend should truly benefit the customer and that the customer should be open to buying them. The best time for suggestive selling is when the customer is already holding a product. Suggesting complementary items is a way to increase add-on sales.

CRI@bobross.com

Francesca Nicasio writes about trends, tips, and other cool things that enable retailers to increase sales, serve customers better and be more awesome overall. She writes for Vend, a company that offers cloud-based point-of-sale and retail management software that lets retailers run their business in-store, online, and via mobile. To receive weekly retail tips visit blog.vendhq.com.

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19_0320_s

Strathmore

NEW!

TRAVEL SERIES

artwork by Sara Prentice

Designed to Meet the Needs of On-Location Artwork TRAVEL JOURNALS

Perfect for Urban Sketchers, each journal features a soft silicone band to keep them secure and saddle stitching in a complementary aqua color.

TRAVEL PADS

Perfect for plein air painting with 3 pad sizes, all in landscape format. All pads feature heavy duty chipboard backing and durable flip-over or spiral bound covers.

8"x 10" 5.5"x 8"

7"x 10"

6"x 8"

3"x 9"

All Travel Series Products Feature Premium Watercolor Paper That Is:

• Cold Press

• Heavyweight, 140 lb. (300g/m2)

• 100% cotton

• Acid free and archival grade Strathmore Artist Papers™

strathmoreartist.com

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A division of Pacon Corporation ® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc. 2019

strathmoreartist.com

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mgraham.com

Retailers Recommend

Fabulous Products

by Tina Manzer

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Josh King from Paper and Ink Arts in Nashville “We’ve seen a resurgence in watercolor recently, and M. Graham

& Co. watercolors in tubes (1) are really taking off. They’re made

with honey – a traditional base – and they say it makes the colors truer and stronger. “To go along with the paint, watercolorists are choosing pads of Stonehenge Aqua (2) from Legion Paper. It’s a high-quality paper at a good price point. Pads come in different sizes, from 2.5 by 3.75 inches

up to 10 by 14 inches. “Speedball Oblique Nib holders (3) are popular with calligraphy teachers who buy a lot of them for their classes. They’re inexpensive and perfect for people just starting out with pointed pen calligraphy. “Amsterdam Acrylic Ink (4) from Royal Talens is a customer favorite. There’s a great range of colors, it tends to stay constituted longer without having to stir, and it flows right off the nib.”

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richesonart.com

uartpastelpaper.com

copicmarker.com

6 speedballart.com

“They also like Copic Markers (6), and the free app

called Copic Collection that helps them keep track of the colors they already have. “I’m going to rearrange the store around my new display of

Jack Richeson soft, handrolled pastels (7). I am a

pastel artist myself and I will tell you: these pastels are buttery soft and highly pigmented. I can’t say enough about how great they are! “UART’s mounted

boards for plein air and pastel artists (8) combine

the convenience of sanded pastel paper with the durability of PVC board. They now have packages of single sheets, making it easy for people to buy for individual projects. “When I demo the Natural

Elements Palette of ArtGraf by Viarco (9), people buy it

immediately. They don’t necessarily come in and ask for it, but when they see it they want it. You can spread it and then erase it.”

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Cindy Corrigan from The Art Stop in Penfield, New York “People are buying Uni Posca Markers (5) to decorate their iphone cases. They are great all-purpose markers available with different points: chisel, brush, fine point, etc. I don’t stock all the colors but I can order whatever the customer wants and get it in quickly.

Q2 2019 • ArtMaterialsRetailer.com

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FACES

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That Old Black Magic by Tina Manzer

Best Small Booth, Art Materials World 2019 To be fair, Royal Talens has launched Van Gogh Black Watercolor Paper, calling it “the first black fine art paper on the market suitable for watercolor.” The launch corresponds with the addition of 32 new Van Gogh Watercolour colors. And Strathmore introduced its 400 Series Black Mixed Media paper that’s sized to handle gouache, colored pencil, metallic watercolor, gel pens, pastel and other opaque media. I hope no one starts fighting over which paper is blackest. The San Antonio edition of

NAMTA’s annual show marked the end of an era in which it co-located with CAMEX, the Campus Market Expo. In 2020 and in 2021, it heads to Chicago on its own in late April. To see highlights from Art Materials World 2019, visit namta. org/resources. Among the videos available for view are nine demos from exhibiting manufacturers – a test of NAMTA’s new videotraining project. Among them are a primer on dyes from Jacquard, the creative possibilities of Bronzee and Artzee, and Pentel’s Chris Koehler demonstrations.

What is it with the color black and artists? I’m thinking back to the Vantablack controversy of 2016, when world-famous artist Anish Kapoor exclusively licensed the “blackest black” pigment, developed for space satellites, for his own personal use. The art community was furious. So Stuart Semple and about 1,000 of his artist friends teamed up with paint makers to develop something even blacker. This January, Black 3.0 became available on Kickstarter. Based on a new pigment, it’s the blackest, mattest, flattest acrylic paint available, Semple told Fast Company. It captures up to 99 percent of all the visible spectrum radiation and, thanks to its custom acrylic polymer, allows more pigment density. And Anish Kapoor is prohibited from using it. But back to black at Art Materials World. Legion not only won a Best New Product award for its Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black, but also the title of Best Small Booth for its atramentous display. The company admits that black paper is not new, but black 100 percent cotton paper sized for watercolor is. “With recent introductions of new metallic and pearlescent watercolor paints, pencils, pens, markers and inks, the timing couldn’t be better,” says legionpaper.com.

“Winners” at NAMTA • Fredrix Artist Canvas/Tara Materials: Best Medium Booth • Golden Artist Colors: Best Large Booth • Slice Inc.: Best New Exhibitor • Pentel Arts: Best In-Booth Activity • Gamblin Artist Colors: Judges Special Recognition for Unique Booth Presentation • Maped Helix USA: Best Point of Purchase Display • Armadillo Art & Craft Derivan Face Paint Tubes: Best New Kids Product

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new true Pro Framers from Pro Tapes is a premium polyethylene-coated cloth tape for mounting, matting and framing artwork and prints. It’s highly conformable and hand tear-able. The pH-neutral adhesive is compatible with alkaline papers. It’s easy to use: simply unwind and apply. It leaves no stains on prints or mats, and has no deteriorating affect on artwork. 1-800-345-0234, protapes.com

Now available from Artzee – Bronzee Liquid Finish 2oz mini jars for use on all porous surfaces: air dry clay, ceramics, canvas, fabric, gourds, leather, metal, paper, wood, and stone. The art medium dries rock hard into a lustrous enamel finish. Available in Bronze, Copper Bronze, Red Copper Bronze, Golden Bronze, Black Bronze, Platinum, Lime Bronze, and Turquoise Bronze; certified ASTM D-4236 dkincaid@artzeeliquidsealer.com sculptedanimations.com

The Caran d’Ache Neocolor Do It Yourself special edition consists of 10, 15 and 30 color assortments of Neocolor

I and Neocolor II high-quality permanent and water-soluble wax pastels. The eye-catching packaging is perfect for the world of arts & crafts. The inside of the sleeve offers creative tips, a color blending guide, and a QR code for more creative projects. Now serving Canadian retailers 704-644-1427/888-423-0036, creativeartmaterials.com

All the advantages of a non-sulfur plasteline without the cost! Gray-green Jolly King Plasteline from Sculpture House has a smoother and more uniform texture. The absence of sulfur makes it more compatible with mold making materials. It’s pliable, nontoxic, and non-hardening. Made in the U.S.A. Available in individual 1-lb. and 5-lb. units and cases. 772-210-6124, sculpturehouse.com, customerrelations@sculpturehouse.com

Jacquard’s popular two-component Cyanotype Set now comes in a fold-over blister that looks great and is easier to handle, ship and display. Cyanotype is the original sun-printing process. After 175 years, it remains the simplest, most accessible, versatile and magical photographic process. Jacquard’s Cyanotype Set makes it easier than ever! 707-433-9577, jacquardproducts.com

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GOLDEN has launched two new sets of color pouring medium – Gloss and Matte. A great starting point for artists, each set contains Gloss or Matte Color Pouring Medium, five Fluid Acrylics and a guide with tips for creating successful pours. Sets available April 15, 2019; no minimum order. goldenpaints.com/products/medium-gels-pastes/colorpouring-medium

Strathmore is excited to introduce a new 400 Series Black Mixed Media paper. This heavyweight paper is 184lb. (300gsm) and has a vellum drawing surface. It’s also sized to handle wet media, making it perfect for gouache, colored pencil, metallic watercolor, gel pens, pastel and more opaque media. strathmoreartist.com/mixed-media/id-400series-mixed-media.html

The 1.25-pound 5x7 Pocket Box from Guerilla Painter, shown here with optional accessories, has a sliding palette and storage for supplies. The lid can hold two 5- by 7-inch wet panels, and can lock in any position over a full 180°. Close it, and you’re ready to go with everything completely protected, thanks to the rugged basswood laminate construction and stainless steel and aluminum hardware (no rusting). Lacquer finish. 970-221-9044, guerrillapainter.com

With the Paint Puck Brush Cleaner, you can clean your brushes quickly and effectively and lengthen the life of your brushes at the same time. Simply put, these little silicone discs have taken the industry by storm. Artists love them because they completely eradicate the most destructive and time-consuming painting habits known to art. paintpuckproduct.com

The Waxmelter Batik Pen from Witzend is perfect for Batik or Encaustic artists. UL-listed, it heats to 180º F without overheating. A few chips of wax in the pen barrel melt immediately for drawing a long, continuous, thin line. It comes with two valves (one extra) to prevent dripping, plus a stand and instructions. Made in the USA! sandy@twisteezwire.com, 203-393-2397

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NEW from ACTÍVA! Upsala blue porcelain is one of nine new and unique specialty kiln fire clays available from the SIO-2 brand of Spain. Visit our website to find out more about this product and the other new SIO-2 clays. atactivaproducts.com

new true GOLDEN has introduced Isolation Coat

Semi-Gloss Archival Spray Varnish w/UVLS. Isolation Coat

and

unifies and protects a painting’s surface in preparation for varnishing. It allows varnish to be removed in the future without disturbing the underlying paint layers. Semi-Gloss Archival Spray Varnish w/UVLS has a sheen halfway between the current GOLDEN Gloss and Satin spray varnishes currently available. goldenpaints.com/products/varnishtop-coat/msa-archival-spray-varnish

Trimar Enterprises introduces the newest option in custom canvas stretchers. Become a partner with Trimar in your marketplace, and let us show you how our aluminum stretcher can substantially improve your profits. Contact Marvin or Jonathan. 1-800-874-6271 trimarstretcher.com

Plein Air Linen Artist Panels from Multimedia Artboard are the lightest, thinnest panels available. Claessens 100-percent Belgium Linen is dry mounted on 1/32nd- inch-thick Multimedia Artboard panels #15, #13 Double Oil Primed, or #109 Double Primed Universal. Five-packs are available in these sizes: 6 by 8, 8 by 10, 9 by 12, 12 by 12, 11 by 14, 12 by 16, 16 by 20, and 18 by 24 inches. 770-271-4753 multimediaartboard.com/vendor tcarney@multimediaartboard.com

ArtMaterialsRetailer.com • Q2 2019

RENDR No Show Thru Paper from Crescent Cardboard allows you to use 100 percent of the sketch book; no more limitations to what type of media you use in your work and no more tearing out the next page. Our patented paper will not allow any bleed or show through from the other side of the paper, no matter what media is used! Even oil paint and juicy ink markers! 110 lb white heavy weight sheets. Acid and lignin free. crescentcardboard.com

The Flyer by Sparmax revolutionizes the airbrushing experience. Swap paints instantly with its proprietary pop-and-plug system. The ergonomic handle helps artists work longer and introduces airbrushing to beginners in an all-new way. Solvent resistant. Adjustable 0.4mm nozzle. Standard fitting. Additional bottle sets sold separately. info@sparmax.com.tw store.sparmaxair.com

Maimeri has launched a short range of Professional Mediums made with the best possible ingredients: Kordofan Gum Arabic, Honey-Based Watercolor Medium, Natural Ox Gall, Synthetic Ox Gall and a Colorless Masking Fluid. Each medium is designed to work in harmony with MaimeriBlu single-pigment watercolors, which are formulated with natural Kordofan Gum Arabic. orders@canson.com, 800-628-9283

Grafix has expanded its Craft Plastic Film line with NEW Opaque

White, Laser Cuttable and Food Safe Films, plus a larger variety of Crystal Clear Film. The variety gives you additional creative options for making 3-D elements, embellishments and stencils. As mixed-media surfaces, these films will coordinate with any artistic project! grafixarts.com

Royal Talensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Van Gogh Watercolours Colour Extension offers 32 new colors for the modern watercolorist including new specialty colors in metallic, interference and dusk. Now there are 72 colors in the line! Van Gogh also proudly introduces the first black fine art paper on the market suitable for watercolor. info.na@royaltalens.com

Pocket-sized Koi CAC from Sakura of America feature essential accessories for painting on the go. Create your own unique washes and blends with the metallic, fluorescent, and pearlescent paints. Explore a whole new spectrum of stunning effects by mixing these Creative Art Colors with your traditional watercolor set. 1-800-776-6257, sakuraofamerica.com

Q2 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ ArtMaterialsRetailer.com

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new true The Linoleum & Relief Carving Set from Flexcut Tool features four interchangeable blade profiles: a 1/8-inch and a 5/16-inch sweep, a 1/4-inch V-tool, plus a 1mm micro V-tool. They are made from high-carbon steel and are razor sharp to easily cut away linoleum and wood. The set comes with a high-impact thermoplastic handle, a manual, sharpening strop, polishing compound, and 11-pocket tool roll. 800-524-9077, flexcut.com

Improve bullet journals, to-do lists, class notes, and everything in between with The Art of Visual Notetaking, an interactive guide to visual communication and sketchnoting from Walter Foster Publishing. Emily Mills’ approach to taking notes in the 21st century is perfect for journaling, class lectures, conferences, and any other occasions where retaining information is key. quarto.com

Legion introduces the first 100-percent cotton black watercolor paper: Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black. It’s an exciting new world where negative space is transformed into positive. Instead of building up shadows, you can build up light. It’s a chance for those who live and breathe watercolors to bring a new breed of creativity to light. legionpaper.com

Ranger’s QuickCure Clay cures in minutes with a heat tool – no kiln or oven necessary. It’s five times stronger than other polymer clays, supports 6,000 lbs per square inch, and has a tolerance up to 350º C (more than 600º F). The finished product is very strong and durable for making sculptures, jewelry, and other mixed-media projects. It accepts a wide range of colorants and mediums. rangerink.com

Maimeri introduces the relaunch of MaimeriBlu Professional Watercolors, a full range of 90 single-pigment colors with maximum lightfastness. Each color is extraordinarily transparent according to the particular characteristic of the pigment. The new Half Pan sets come in a beautiful metal tin with cavities for mixing colors. Try all 90 colors with the Canson Heritage line, the next-generation of watercolor paper. orders@canson.com, 800-628-9283

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The Sienna Pastel Pochade Box from Jack Richeson is an easel and a pastel holder in one. It accommodates panels up to 17 inches high, and 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick pastel panels, Gatorboard, and pastel paper taped to 1/4-inch foamcore. The four large pastel storage compartments are lined with a removable 1/4-inch foam layer; the foam cover and accessory tray are removable. 800-233-2404, richesonart.com Each blade of the Titanium-Fused Trimming Tool Series from Xiem Tools is handcrafted from high-carbon tempered stainless steel fused with a thin layer of Titanium Nitride. They resist rust, reduce friction, and have increased strength and hardness. Ergonomically shaped Beech hardwood handles feature a flat bottom to prevent rolling. Available in small, medium, and large and in a variety of shapes. xiemtoolsusa.com

For more than 25 years, EMI has evaluated art materials exclusively. We know your business. Let us evaluate your product for

P65 NSRL and MADL

values for chemicals causing cancer

and/or reproductive toxicity that provide “safe harbor” for businesses subject to the requirements of Proposition 65. envmed.com

Clairefontaine Paint’ON Mixed Media Papers from Exaclair resist buckling and warping Where space is limited, Specialty Racks from Saturn Rack/A.W.T. World Trade are an efficient solution to your drying and storage needs, whether it’s artwork in a classroom or prints in a studio. They feature all-steel construction, a rust-resistant, powder-coated finish, and a variety of shelving options. A wide range of versatile and affordable models are available. sales@dryingandstorageracks.com dryingandstorageracks.com/rack-it-specialty.php

and are acid-free and archival. The 250g (115lb) extra heavyweight, French-milled papers are perfect for wet and dry techniques including gouache, pastel, oil, watercolor, and more. The papers are available in four sizes, four paper color options, and three textures. sales@exaclair.com, exaclairB2B.com

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n d u s t r y

e w s

Wade Miquelon

Varadheesh Chennakrishnan

JOANN Stores, has named Wade Miquelon president, CEO, and a member of the board of directors of the company. Miquelon was appointed interim president & CEO in October 2018, in addition to continuing in his role as executive vice president & CFO.

and risk management. He has also held executive roles at Tyson Foods and Procter & Gamble, and has served on multiple boards for international companies and nonprofit organizations. Matt Susz will take over Miquelon’s duties as CFO.

He joined JOANN as EVP in March 2016, and helped drive a strategic growth plan that includes revitalized branding, refreshed merchandising, expanded digital capabilities, and customer-focused storefront innovation. Formerly, Miquelon was executive vice president, CFO and president of international at The Walgreen Company, where he oversaw strategy, mergers and acquisitions, business development, market planning,

Additional changes include the hiring of Varadheesh Chennakrishnan as chief information officer. Varadheesh joins JOANN from Ulta Beauty, where he spent more than eight years in roles of increasing responsibility in the IT organization, most recently as SVP, applications & enterprise architecture. Prior to Ulta, he honed his expertise as a systems and software expert at several companies and as an

independent consultant. Last summer, the company unveiled its first Concept Store featuring cutting-edge technology, community spaces, and interactive kiosks. The retailer has begun rolling out some of these aspects and will continue testing and piloting new technologies across the nation. “We’re doing incredibly exciting things at JOANN, from integrating customer-facing technologies into our stores, to investing in new operations systems, to expanding the way we interact with customers on their connected devices,” says new company President Wade Miquelon. “JOANN is proud to be leading the tech transformation of the arts and craft industry, and we’ll continue innovating and embracing new technologies to inspire customers, wherever they are.” JOANN has been privately owned since its acquisition by affiliates of private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners L.P. in 2011. From a single, Cleveland, Ohio, storefront 75 years ago, JOANN has grown to more than 865 stores across 49 states and an industry-leading e-commerce business.

NAMTA Booth #536

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S So

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Golden Artist Colors has grown internationally with the recent hire of Mirjam Hintz, new material application specialist for the EU market based in Frankfurt, Germany. GOLDEN’s material application specialists consult directly with artists at no charge to answer their questions and assist with product and application challenges. This service has allowed the company to develop industry leading customer support capability. Until now, it was offered out of the GOLDEN factory and headquarters in Central New York, which limited access to U.S. business hours and English language conversant callers. An artist and paintings conservator, Hintz spent the majority of 2018 at the GOLDEN factory, where she completed rigorous training on all GOLDEN product lines, and also participated in ongoing product research. She will handle phone calls and email responses in both German and English during normal German business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). To contact her, international customers can either: • call the dedicated phone line at their own expense (0049 – 69 – 348 – 72154); • leave a call-back number via a form on the website (no charge) or • Send an email to euhelp@ goldenpaints.com.

Mirjam Hintz

Stacy Rosende

These contact details are also posted on goldenpaints.com. Hintz completed her undergraduate work in conservation at the London Metropolitan University. Her graduate work was at the University of Amsterdam where she received an MA in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in the paintings specialization, with a focus on old master paintings. She received two years of post-graduate training in paintings conservation from the University of Amsterdam. Stacy Rosende recently joined GOLDEN as Education Program director, a newly created position.

award for Teaching Excellence in the Visual Arts. Kevin Greeland will continue in his role as education coordinator, heading up the GOLDEN Working Artist and Artist Educator programs; both of which are international in scope and continue to expand. The GOLDEN Certified Working Artists provide lecture demonstrations for art groups, education institutions, and retail locations. GOLDEN Artist Educators offer hands-on workshops to a range of audiences. Rosende and Greeland are

She will oversee all GOLDEN Education Programs with a focus on evaluating strategic opportunities, developing new content formats, and driving greater integration of all GOLDEN Education Program offerings. Rosende comes to GOLDEN

both full-time GOLDEN employees based at company headquarters in New York, which enables them to collaborate on all Education Program strategies and to stay integrated with GOLDEN brand strategies and the Material Application Specialists. Golden Artist Colors, with

from Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida, where she taught two- and threedimensional design and painting. During her tenure there she received an individual artist grant, an artist residency in Venice, Italy, and an

facilities in Columbus and Norwich, New York, is a manufacturer of artist-quality materials including colors and mediums for painting in acrylics, oils and most recently, watercolor.

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Rupert, Gibbon and Spider, manufacturers of Jacquard Products, has launched a newly redesigned website, jacquardproducts.com. It is mobile-friendly and easily navigable with a modern look and feel, improved functionality, and more content than ever. With more than 400 pages, it is massive. “Over the years, we packed it with product information, technical guides and resources, project tutorials, artist galleries, community listings, a forum and a store locator,” said a Jacquard press release. “It quickly became an indispensable resource for artists, especially those with a bent for textiles. “At some point the site seemed to outgrow itself, so we decided to refresh it with a complete rebuild,” it continued. “We couldn’t be happier with the results.” Among its features are eye-catching thumbnails to illustrate “what’s next.” Text links provide fast navigation, and every image is clickable for magnified viewing. There’s inspiring artwork on every page with banners and galleries showcasing the work of artists who use Jacquard’s products. Images and swatches are large. The site’s new forum software allows for photo uploads and enhanced search capabilities. “We have migrated years’ worth of forum threads to the new site, so it remains a powerful resource for any project,” says the release. The site’s updated Store Locator drives customers to art materials stores with real-time GPS mapping, enhanced searching capabilities and store images. Jacquard encourages retailers to create an account. Rupert, Gibbon & Spider, Inc. has been producing highquality textile art supplies for 35-plus years. Jacquard’s product lines include fabric paints, dyes, screen inks, pigment powders, fabric art markers, chemicals, waxes and superior-quality craft kits. All of its dyes and paints are made in the U.S.A.

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Michaels will close its 36 Pat Catan’s arts and crafts stores in Ohio and surrounding states. It will rebrand up to 12 of the closed stores and reopen them under the Michaels banner, and will continue to maintain a support center and distribution center in Strongsville, Ohio, for its growing wholesale business. “The Pat Catan’s retail business has struggled in the face of industry headwinds,” says Chuck Rubin, chairman and CEO of The Michaels Companies. “This was not an easy decision. As we work through the closing process, we intend to provide employment opportunities or transition support for all Pat Catan’s team members.” The Michaels Companies is North America’s largest specialty provider of arts, crafts, framing, floral, wall décor, and seasonal merchandise for makers and do-it-yourself home decorators. The company owns and operates more than 1,200 stores in 49 states and Canada under the brands Michaels, Aaron Brothers and Pat Catan’s. The Michaels Companies, Inc. also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of high quality custom and specialty framing merchandise, and Darice, a premier wholesale distributor in the craft, gift and decor industry.

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on the wage growth we’ve been seeing since higher wages translate into increased spending. Retail jobs reflect the pulse of the economy, and as the economy picks up, retail hiring is likely to do the same.” Kleinhenz continued: “Consumer confidence and consumer spending were down earlier in the year, so the retail numbers likely reflect merchants’ hesitancy to add to payrolls under those conditions. But it’s important to remember that the economy historically slows down in the first quarter. And there have been record numbers of retail job openings – more openings than retailers can fill – so the tough hiring market is also a factor.” Economy-wide, average hourly earnings in March were up 4 cents over February to $27.70, a year-over-year increase of 3.2 percent that builds on a 10-cent gain seen in February. But retail job numbers from the Labor Department do not provide an accurate picture of the industry, says the NRF, because they count only employees who work in stores, not retail workers in other parts of the business: distribution centers, call centers, innovation labs, etc.

trait

The Labor Department reports that retail industry employment in March was down by 11,700 jobs seasonally adjusted from February, and down 47,400 jobs unadjusted year-over-year. The retail numbers came as the nation saw a monthly gain of 196,000 jobs overall. “March’s strong rebound in overall hiring throughout the economy is good news after the seesaw employment growth in the past few months,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “It paints a picture of resiliency of the U.S. economy. And all eyes should focus

n the

Retail Employment Declines in March

f the mo

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g da

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wed din

The Devil in the Retail is Debt The demise of many retail chains continues to be caused by excessive debt, writes Bradley W. Snyder, executive managing director at Tiger Capital Group. In a recent article in the newsletter of Fashion Mannuscript magazine, he cites the latest example of a debt-laden retail chain in bankruptcy: Payless ShoeSource’s North American operations. It’s the largest liquidation by store count in U.S. history. The ongoing sale follows recent bankruptcies and closures by Sears, Bon-Ton Stores, Nine West, Claire’s and Toys “R” Us. In his article, “How Debt Plays an Outsized Role in Retail Bankruptcies,” Snyder notes that Tiger Capital, along with joint venture partner Great American Group, began liquidating $1 billion in inventory at 2,300 Payless stores in February. The rise of e-commerce, stiff competition from off-price chains and the loss of brand-consciousness among younger shoppers, are among the explanations for such closures, but they are only part of the story. “The consensus in my part of the business world, which is peopled by the likes of financiers, appraisers, liquidators and bankruptcy professionals, is how financial factors – especially impatience triggered by a chain’s excessive debt – are driving retail failures,” Snyder writes.

While conventional explanations for retailer failures (consumer behavior, ecommerce or the overstored American landscape) should not be dismissed, Snyder says that many of the bankruptcies and store closures happening today “are a natural consequence of investment decisions made by private equity firms, activist investors and bondholders focused on retail.”

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Overall private equity capitalization – the sector most responsible for buying up retailers and saddling them with debt – has grown more than sevenfold since 2002. That’s twice as fast as the public markets, Snyder notes. Two years in particular – 2016 and 2017 – appear to represent a kind of tipping point with respect to the ill effects of excessive retail debt. In 2017, for example, 21 major retailers filed for bankruptcy protection, he adds. “If the mortgage on your house were to quintuple overnight, paying your other bills would suddenly be a lot more stressful,” Snyder explains. “Debt-saddled retailers found themselves in an analogous position: precisely when they needed a lot of money to launch ecommerce operations, ramp up in-store experiences and overhaul their supply chains, they were faced with overwhelming debt service.”

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Fraud Study Finds Books are Easier to Cook than Borrow Using data from state corporation formation agencies, a new report shows the scant amount of information required to establish an anonymous shell company in the U.S. By comparing incorporation requirements to requirements mandated by libraries, the study demonstrates that more personal information is needed to obtain a library card than to establish a legal entity. Criminals are using shell companies to create bank accounts and facilitate tax evasion, money laundering, fraud and corruption.

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The report, “The Library Card Project: The Ease of Forming Anonymous Companies in the United States,” was released in March at an event cosponsored by Global Financial Integrity, the FACT Coalition, Transparency International, and the ACAMS US Capital Chapter. Its author, Lakshmi Kumar, points out that asking for basic personal information is not technologically difficult, costly, or time intensive. In many cases in the U.S. and around the world, the anonymity of U.S. company ownership makes it difficult for law enforcement and tax authorities to follow the money, to find the people behind anonymous companies, and to expose and prosecute criminals and criminal networks. Among the highlights of “The Library Card Project” are these. · No state requires any information about the person or persons who directly or indirectly own or control the company (often referred to as a “beneficial owner”); · 23 states and the District of Columbia do not require a company’s address to be provided;

· Every state requires the name of the person who established the company, but it is often a lawyer or other representative – known as a “registered agent” – who can be hired to create a company for a beneficial owner; · Alaska, California, Ohio and Virginia do not require the incorporator’s address; · Only 13 states require information about a company’s directors; and · Only five states require information about a company’s officers either upon incorporation or within the first 90 days after incorporation. Nearly two decades ago, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development identified that nearly every economic crime involved the misuse of anonymous companies. The World Bank discovered that 70 percent of the cases of grand corruption over the last 30 years used anonymous companies to help carry out and hide illegal activity. The United States registers 10 times as many legal entities than 41 tax havens combined, and has been identified in several studies as one of the easiest jurisdictions in which to open an anonymous company. Remember the Panama Papers from 2015? The 11.5 million leaked documents detailed financial and attorney-client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities. The documents, some dating back to the 1970s, were created by, and taken from, Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca. In a 2018 study, the U.S. was ranked second among tax havens. Panama was ranked 12th. Delaware, the epicenter of company formation in the U.S., has more companies than people.

t 42

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The Strength of Adhesive The Convenience of Tape

Welcomes 2 New Advertisers! Quarto Group creates a wide variety of books and intellectual property products “to inspire life’s experiences.” They are visually appealing, information rich and stimulating, and come in many formats for adults, children and the whole family. Quarto Group was founded in London in 1976. It is domiciled in the U.S. and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its products are sold in 50 countries and 40 languages. Under the book category “Quarto Creates” are 12 subcategories that include Art for Children, Art Subjects and Themes, Art Techniques, Art Topics, Fashion Design, Music, Photography, etc. Among the newest titles are Look Closer, Draw Better by Kateri Ewing, The Art of Visual Notetaking by Emily Mills, and Block Print Magic by Emily Louise Howard. See the ad on page 38. In 2019, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is marking the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt’s death with exhibitions and special events that showcase the artist’s work. Royal Talens is honoring him, too, and celebrating its Rembrandt brand of paint, pastels and accessories. At Art Materials World, the company kicked off its “Year of Rembrandt” campaign, complete with a unique, special edition Rembrandt artists’ box of 120 oil colors and accessories. In addition, “The Rembrandt Soft Pastel Micro Sets had everyone thinking of candy and makeup packaging,” noted Royal Talens on Facebook. “It will help lift the pastel category to a new level, help drive open-stock sales, and introduce the product to a younger audience.” The company is currently holding a “Year of Rembrandt” artist competition with a trip to Holland as the prize. See the ad on page 37.

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“endcap” from page 46

Dawson bought a 3-D printer with the commission he received from his “Hawaii” painting. Remember the Jeep? It was wrecked in a near-fatal black-ice accident. Dawson used the insurance money to pay for Paint Puck prototypes and to purchase a plane ticket to Art Materials World 2017. With prototypes in hand, he stepped outside his comfort zone. “I had to meet people, talk to people, sell and market my product,” he explains. “Most engineers don’t have that kind of skill set, but I’m glad I can do it for the freedom it gives me. Some aerospace engineers spend 35 years perfecting one tiny little pump on the wing of an airplane. That’s not the kind of job I want.”

At Art Materials World, Jeremy Wolff created “Donkey ‘King’ Kong” at the Paint Puck booth. Wolff is the Resident Artist of the Empire State Building. The next step is to grow Paint Puck LLC. Then he’d like to hire employees to handle the day-to-day so that the company is less dependent on him. The kind of job he wants as a “digital sculptor” is to create the many ideas he has in his head, and perhaps the ideas that others bring him. The Paint Puck line also includes a rinse cup he designed, and there’s a Dawson-Cannon-created fidget toy; a modified Paint Puck. I said, “You must feel like you can do almost anything.” “Nah,” he responded. “The only time I felt that way was when I passed ninth-grade calculus.”

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n d c a p

It Took Pluck by Tina Manzer

The Paint Puck is a simple solution to an age-old brushcleaning problem. As we all know, the most uncomplicated tools are often the best, but new ideas for them don’t always make it to market. As Paint Puck’s creator Dawson Cannon explains, “Inventors are afraid their simple idea will be knocked off, but I am relatively driven to take risks.” The 25-year-old aerospace engineer invented the nubby silicone disc three years ago because, without it, painting for him was just too slow. Not that he considers himself an artist. Dawson can draw, though, especially cartoons. “I have a knack for doodling; for illustration,” he said in a recent interview. “Even when I don’t draw for a while, even if it is three years since I picked up a mechanical pencil, it is as if I never put it down.”

He’s also a tinkerer who enjoys working on cars and motorcycles. Dawson built his beloved Jeep from the ground up, “like the fenders from tube and sheet metal-type ground up,” he says. He met his former mentor, engineer Dave Magnuson from Camtech in California, through their mutual admiration of motorcycles. In addition to being a fan of cruisers, Dave also liked Dawson’s mechanical drawings. He was always asking to buy them. Dawson was happy to give them to him; he never accepted payment. When he discovered graphite pencils and the different variations of gray and black they produced, Dawson’s drawings took on a new dimension. “I had more fun with them,” he explains. “I used a layering process – thin lines in back, dark and heavy in front the way engineers do – but they almost looked like cartoons.” That led him to painting. “Even though I hadn’t painted since art class in fourth grade, I bought canvas and acrylics.” His first project was for Dave – who wanted a painting of

Hawaii. “I said, ‘Now a painting … I’d accept payment for a painting,’” laughs Dawson. He found the process grueling. “I had my pint glass of water and some acrylics, but I was changing colors constantly. Washing the brushes every time slowed me down. I kept thinking, ‘It would be so simple to put something in the bottom of the glass.’ I visualized silicone kitchen tools on the impulse rack at a store.” The Paint Puck was actually inspired by the design for a women’s makeup-brush cleaner he had worked on. “Imagine a coffee maker that cleaned 30 makeup brushes at a time. It utilized a rubber mat, like the ones you put on the bottom of your kitchen sink. I checked on Amazon, and it had all sorts of makeup-brush cleaners, but nothing for artists.” Meanwhile, Dave had purchased Dawson’s painting. On Dave’s advice, he used the money to purchase a 3-D printer. “I already had the software for it from college, so I started designing,” he explains. “I made my first Paint Puck at home using a preprinted mold. I sent the design to China to test it.”

continued on page 45

ArtMaterialsRetailer.com • Q2 2019

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International International Art Art Materials Materials International Art Materials Association Association isis excited excited to to announce announce Association is excited to announce that that ART ART MATERIALS MATERIALS WORLD WORLD isis that ART MATERIALS WORLD is coming coming back back to to Chicago Chicago in in 2020 2020 at at coming back to Chicago in 2020 at the popular popular Hyatt Hyatt Regency Regency Hotel Hotel the the popular Hyatt Regency Hotel and and Navy Navy Pier! Pier! and Navy Pier! CCCHHHIIICCCAAAGGOO GO

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“For “Forseveral severalyears, years,NAMTA NAMTAmembers membershave havetold told “For several years, NAMTA members have told “For several years, NAMTA members have told us usthey theywant want to tosee seeART ART MATERIALS MATERIALS WORLD WORLD us they want to see ART MATERIALS WORLD us they want to see ARTto MATERIALS WORLD return return to Chicago Chicagoand and we’ve we’vefinally finallybeen beenable ableto to return to Chicago and we’ve finally been able to return to Chicagonegotiate and we’ve finally been able tothat negotiate a two-year package package thatmakes makesfinanfinannegotiate aatwo-year two-year package that makes finannegotiate a two-year package that makes financial cialsense sense sense for forattendees, attendees, attendees, cial for cial sense for attendees, vendors vendorsand andNAMTA.” NAMTA.” vendors and NAMTA.” 20200 20200Zion ZionAvenue Avenue vendors and NAMTA.” 20200 Zion Avenue – ReggieHall, Hall, Cornelius, Cornelius,NC NC28031 28031 ––Reggie Reggie Hall, Cornelius, NC 28031 704.892.6244 704.892.6244 20200 Zion Avenue 704.892.6244 – Reggie Hall, NAMTA’s Cornelius, NC 28031 NAMTA’sExecutive Executive Director Director NAMTA’s Executive Director 704.892.6244 NAMTA’s Executive Director

For more information: or more information: Visit Visit namta.org namta.org

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Visit namta.org or or contact contact us us at at or contact us at info@namta.org info@namta.org info@namta.org

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