Impressions Newsletter - September 2007

September 2007

Greetings and welcome to our September newsletter.By the time you read this, the Art Awards will be underway. We hope to see all those artists who submitted entries at the Opening on Saturday 8^th at the Refinery Artspace. The judging will not be an easy task I’m sure. Going by the uptake of entry forms from our store, there promises to be many paintings and photographic works entered.

As you know from our last newsletter, Marlyn has travelled to Melbourne with a view to settling there if she enjoys the city. So I have been busy recruiting a new sales consultant. Our new staff member is Catherine Kent.

Catherine is an artist with experience as a graphic designer in the UK. She is more than competent to answer many of your painting questions. I am confident that you will enjoy dealing with her as she has already demonstrated her flair with colour and design when taking framing orders and her sunny nature makes her a joy to be with. Of course there is still a lot for her to learn, as the nature of Impressions makes it a complex area in which to work, so please be patient while we complete her orientation-training period.

Nathan has just returned from the USA, positively buzzing with news of his experiences working in a summer camp in Pennsylvania, USA. He has already planned to return there next year. As the workshop has become increasingly busy over the last couple of months, he will find there is a lot of work for him to do once the extended workshop is properly functional.

The building alterations are finally in full swing. There is currently lots of noise and dust as the space for our extension is being prepared. While others may complain about the noise, it’s music to my ears, as I know that progress is being made at last! As I write this, the shell of the new space is nearly complete,and shortly our own builder will take over to fit out the workshop and shop extensions. However, I do apologise for any inconvenience or delays that you may suffer while the work is underway. In the end, I am sure you will find the changes have been worth the trouble.

Winsor & Newton Celebrate 175 Years

Did you know that Winsor and Newton have been operating for 175 years?

William Winsor, a chemist and Henry Newton, an artist joined forces in 1832 to produce artist colours. "With a business founded on the marriage of art and science, the pair set out to respond to the needs of artists and offer them the widest choice of colours with the greatest permanence.

"This combination of scientific rigour and a new spirit of enquiry into the craft of the artists' colourmen enabled Winsor and Newton to set new standards for colour permanence and clarity and within a few short years, Winsor & Newton had become the largest artists' materials supplier in the world.” For more information, on the history of Winsor & Newton I recommend you visit their website www.winsornewton.com

To mark the occasion, of their anniversary year we have decided to offer you:

A Special Deal on Winsor & Newton Artist Watercolours Throughout September.

Buy 2 Tubes – Get 1 Free
(Free tube to be of equal or lesser value)

Artist quality paints contain pure pigment (with the exception of those marked “Hue” where high quality synthetic pigments are used) meaning that the colours are more vibrant, and much stronger, requiring less paint than lesser grades to be applied to achieve a excellent result.

Hint

Watercolours always dry lighter than they appear when wet, so be sure to use enough colour when washing paint onto a wet surface.
Always use good quality paper. Inexpensive papers will often prevent colours from granulating – an effect that most painters enjoy.
Hot Pressed (smooth) paper is harder to work with than Cold Pressed, and will necessitate keeping the painting wetter. Water can tend to pool and run about if the artist is inexperienced in handling this medium.
Use the correct size brush – big brushes for big washes. Choose a brush that has good water-holding properties and holds its shape well. Generally speaking sable or squirrel brushes are the best choice. But a good quality synthetic brush today is much superior to a poor grade of sable brush. We recommend Winsor & Newton, Haydn and Art Spectrum Sable brushes because they meet the requirements of a quality brush.
Don’t ‘colour-in’ – use your brush to draw!
Plan your painting well, but be prepared to go with the flow of the painting once you start. Make the most of any happy accidents.

New Product

Canvas Carrier – This carrier is ideal for transporting your canvases, including wet canvases, without risk of damage to the painting surface.The price is $49.90

Exhibitions

Paintings and photographs of the Regional Art Awards at Refinery Artspace, Halifax Street, Nelson.10th – 30th September. Peoples Choice Award - when you visit the exhibition, be sure to cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award. There are three prizes to be decided by your votes: -1st Choice Award Voucher valued at $625, 2nd Choice Award Voucher valued at $100, 3rd Choice Award Voucher valued at $100

The Regional Art Awards are on their way to being one of the foremost local visual art competitions, and we sincerely appreciate your support for all artists entering this competition and exhibition.

“Foreigness” an exhibition of paintings by Rose Shepard at Taylors – We Love Shoes, 245 Trafalgar St, Nelson from 4^th September to 1^st October. In this body of work Rose has used collage of imagery, figurative and abstract styles to tell the story of Ruth. Gold leaf, photographs and layering have been used to build up the surface.
“Return to Africa” an exhibition of paintings and pottery by Lorraine and Justin Gardner at the McKee Gallery, The Suter until 9^th September.
“Strangely Familiar” by Philippa Dawson, Lianne Edwards, Patsy Fletcher, Liz Palmer and Eleni Sakellar at Reflections Gallery, World of Wearable Art & Classic Cars Museum, Quarantine Rd, Nelson until 9^th October.
Rosie Ross and Heather Wilson at Gallery 203 until 14^th September.

Art Class Directory

There continues to be high demand for the Art Class Directory, which we produce. If you are considering taking an art class, we invite you to include your details in the brochure, which are in turn duplicated on our website (www.impressionsnelson.co.nz). Because I like to keep the directory current, any time I learn of new information, the directory is updated so that anyone picking one up or referring to the website have the most current information available. Please note that there is no charge for anyone including their details in the directory and that any of your students choosing to buy their art materials at Impressions will receive a 10% discount on all materials and framing of their own work.

Anti-spam Legislation

Our newsletters are only ever sent to people requesting them either by leaving their email details in-store, or by subscribing through our website. Please note, that in accordance with new legislation, you are free to opt out or “unsubscribe” from this newsletter at any time. The facility for doing this is found on our website (www.impressionsnelson.co.nz/impressions-newsletter).

We appreciate the interest you have shown in subscribing to our newsletter and welcome your feedback on items you might like to see included. Likewise, should you have information about any art tuition you are offering, or exhibitions you are invited to forward it to me by email impressions@actrix.co.nz or through the website. The information is best sent by the middle of the preceding month to ensure it is included.

Bye for Another Month

As spring is around the corner, I am looking forward to the longer daylight hours and an increase in temperatures. More and more of you will no doubt be tempted to enjoying painting plein air. I hope you have an enjoyable September.

Regards
Glenys and the Team