Someone recently asked me how I became involved with the inner workings of the art materials world.  

I was introduced to this wonderful world of art manufacturers by one of the great icons in the field of art materials retailing. Known to nearly all in the industry, Zora Pinney became my teacher and guide to the art materials world. When Zora was a retailer in Southern California, her store on Santa Monica Boulevard was legendary. When I first met Zora in 1993, I already had a substantial interest in art and had drawn and painted for much of my childhood, but I had put those interests behind me when I pursued a degree in art history. I figured I could never paint like the old masters, so why try. Zora’s undaunted spirit for art materials inspired me. She pushed and prodded me to take up painting again. However, Zora was in California, and I was in Washington, D.C., so it took a bit of local encouragement to motivate me on a regular basis. That local influence came through Ross Merrill who studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under Walter Stuempfig (1914–1970). Ross’s 10-minute art lessons, illustrated on the back of paper cafeteria napkins during coffee breaks, became my first formal introduction into the world of art instruction. I read some books, listened to some of Ross’s public lectures on painting techniques, and experimented on my own with paints I purchased, along with some old brushes I had saved from years past.

My interaction with Zora did not end with her merely encouraging me to paint, however. She became my guide to the fascinating world of art materials manufacturers. She introduced me to the National Art Materials Trade Association (NAMTA), an organization that serves the manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and others who are a part of the art materials universe. Even though “National” is a part of its title, the organization maintains international memberships. For those who have not had the privilege of attending one of NAMTA’s annual trade show meetings, I have described it to fellow art materials lovers as “having died and gone to a giant art store heaven.” The bad part about a NAMTA show is that you cannot make retail purchases. The good part about a NAMTA show is that you cannot make retail purchases. If I were set loose with a credit card at a NAMTA show, the aftermath would result in a total financial meltdown. There’s another reason I really appreciate the “no purchase” policy at the show: It allows me more time to meet with the manufacturers’ representatives to find out about new products.

Zora was my guide for several years while I attended NAMTA meetings each spring. Her visits to the show booths were legendary. After a minute of kissing and handshaking, she settled down into a stream of rapid-fire questions about products, people who worked or had retired from the industry, and about how business was progressing for each of the vendors we met. However, after a few years of visiting the trade show together, she walked through the entrance of the exhibition hall and said, “You’re on your own, kid.” I was thrown from the “nest” and had to learn to fly solo. When I visited booths at NAMTA on my own, the fanfare and kissing stopped, but the relationships forged were ongoing, built from the firm foundation of Zora’s guiding hand.

NAMTA will be in Chicago again this year in the middle of April.  I will report on the activities at the meeting this year with posts on the things I found to be of interest.  Stay tuned.