The Crew packed it up and headed south to the NAMTA (National Art Materials) Trade Show in Houston. This trade only show brings together art materials from around the world, showing off the latest products, techniques and materials. Booths were filled with amazing paints, pens, brushes, canvases and tools all designed with the artist in mind. Sprinkled across the show were amazing artists showing off the their art and what is new and exciting in the art materials world. One might think this show would be focused on only the traditional fine arts, so it was very exciting to turn the corner and see graffiti art, mixed media and other new and trendy art forms.
We ventured to the show with all our brands in tow, along with our friends from Ken Oliver Crafts we set up our booth for the show. It was suggested to us by many that we attend the show and we are very thankful we did. As many of our products cross the lines between craft, DIY, art and home decor it was exciting to hear the feedback and find that there was a need for many of our products in college book stores, local art stores, with art teachers and other retailers attend the show.
The Canvas Corp section featured a wide offering of canvas and burlap blanks that are perfect for directly painting onto, screen printing custom art or featuring with other blank surfaces. The wide offering of blanks was a pleasant surprise to many who walked through the booth with ideas flowing. Along with the blanks the wide range of black line art perfect for Adult coloring and painting, with an approach that seemed to be a great addition to current adult coloring books. The mixed media products we also welcomed as stores determine how to introduce or expand their mixed media offerings.
7gypsies shows off it’s vintage style with an artsy twist, with this amazing vintage dress form created by Donna Braaten-Budzynski. She was a show piece for sure receiving so many great comments and we are pretty sure she was watching over us the entire show. 
The newest collection from 7gypsies, Gypsy Seamstress makes it second debut after CHA with a new twist. JoAnne Doshier shows us her freestyle quilting and painting techniques that have us drooling.
Tattered Angels had the most fun at the show we are pretty sure with its Mixed Media Origins papers, gaining comments about its “uniqueness”, “something really new” and “a great mixed media paper” For more information on Mixed Media Origins you will find it on the new release post. Along with this new collection 3 new Tattered Tangles Papers were introduced. They are not yet released, but we are excited to share offer a sneak peek. The new collection begins with a blank color wheel printed on the special Tattered Tangles paper and perfect for swatching your primary, secondary and tertiary colors, there is a Swatch Card paper perfect for swatching different paint lines, color palettes or projects and a fun new featured art design perfect for swatching color hues, tones or palettes. Designed for the new Tattered Angels Shimmers Paints (a fun new paint soon to be on the market that is a tinted sheer paint with matching mica in a cut little bottle with a brush in the lid – perfect for watercolor painting techniques and adult coloring with a brush), but perfect for all Tattered Angels paints and all other paint lines.
The Tattered Angels color swatch board featuring the enter collection of Glimmer Mists, Chalkboard Mists, Simply Sheer Mist and Baseboard Mist. These samples show off how awesome the mists look on canvas, burlap, paper and how they can tint wood. Who knew how amazing they look of all these different surfaces. Samples of Glimmer Glam, Glimmer Glaze, High Impact and Decor & DIY paints were right next door. This collection of Mixed Media Paints had many at the Art show intrigued and excited to see something new. We even had one request to test the light-fastness of paints to determine how they could be used in her original art work pieces.
The team from Ken Oliver Crafts joined the Canvas Corp Brands team at the show, giving them the opportunity to show the Color Burst products along with the new Water Media Paper Collection made for Ken Oliver Crafts by Canvas Corp.
Anita Houston was on hand the entire show to demonstrate how fun Color Burst is to use and all the creative ways to use it. It was fun to see the crowds draw in to see what she was up to.
Anita’s work was on display for all to see from traditional designs to very vintage, her favorite.
During a little down time, Anita played with the Canvas Corp Butterflies paper and Color Burst and made this amazing background paper that is even more stunning in person.
Shannon Green attended the show with Canvas Corp Brands and will take you on a tour of the show – Canvas Corp Brands & Twisted Boards at #NAMTA
The Crew spent lots of time in the booth and lots of time exploring all the show had to offer and while in the booth we had fun making a show mixed media book where we stashed cards and info we picked up, oops we decorated them just a bit with Tattered Angels Mists.
Everyone had time to create like the this amazing page Shannon created in the book.
The demo table filled quickly with fun products to play with including the new Tattered Angels Shimmers Paints Shannon is playing with.
Heather cleared the way to create a canvas banner filled with Poesies. This new canvas banner from Canvas Corp was painted with Glimmer Mist and ombred with High Impact paint and then Heather played with a little of each brand of Tattered Angels Paints and the results are stunning. (blog post coming up at a later date)
Erin Reed shares her view of the show on your Youtube Channel. What fun it was having all 3 of these amazing designers at the show with us helping us demonstrate, talk to the customers, meet other suppliers and explore the market.
Our notes from the show fill this notebook painted by the show crew and lettered by Heather Kindt. A little adult painting and a little glue transform even the ugliest of notebooks.
We had to share a few fun pictures from the show like this photo of Shannon and Jay (someone walking by at the show that was impossible to miss!!!)
And Randy and John sporting matching beers they received at a booth close by that was having a little happy hour time one afternoon at the show!!! Boys will be boys!!!!
The show was a great success and we are so excited that our notebook is filled with follow up and out entry into the art market was met with great interest, positive feedback and strong potential for the future.
Happy Creating and Happy Arting!!!
'Canvas Corp Brands at NAMTA 2016' has 1 comment
April 11, 2016 @ 6:37 pm Shannon Green
Good times!