2016 NAMTA Show

Hello All!!! Hope you are all doing well, and starting to feel some Spring weather. It's been gorgeous here after a little rain. I'm just back from Houston, were I demoed Ken Oliver's Color Burst, since he was off in Japan...great life Ken...at the NAMTA (International Art Materials Association) yearly show, along side the Canvas Corp forks, whom I now LOVE! I am still reeling from all the sights and the people I was lucky to meet. NAMTA is like the CHA show, but it's only fine art, mixed media, and art specific types of mediums and technology. There was every type of canvas, substrate, paint, pen, marker, oil, handmade paper, tool, clay, jewelry finding, etc., etc. that you can think off. Artists were everywhere painting gigundo canvases, and using techniques and mediums I have never heard off. It was sheer JOY!!! I have never been before, but I can tell you I will go again! If you ever have the chance to go, do it! To say you will be inspired is an understatement, and the things you will see and learn will be huge! AND...if that weren't enough, the CAMEX (Campus Marketing Expo) was also taking place together with the NAMTA show. NAMTA might have had 10 rows of vendors, but CAMEX had about 40. Seriously, who knew collage paraphernalia was so huge, but it's mega huge!!! Every kind of college logo item was there..from bedding, to bags, to computers, to every sport item you can imagine. I met some great people, and generated a lot of ideas. 

Back to my NAMTA sights...here are a few photos...grab a drink...of what I saw and loved, and if you want to see video of some of the event, please visit my new friend Shannon Green's YouTube Page for lots more sights.

Canvas Corp and their lines with 7 Gypsies, and Tattered Angels filled the first three parts of the booth.

There were some gorgeous samples here, and I posted some from some of you on my FB page.

 

The last part of the booth was Ken Oliver goodies.

Here are the owners of Canvas Corp, Randy and Christine Meier. They were easy to love, and I am thrilled we met!

My demo station was all nice and clean and tidy when I started.

Here's a 7 Gypsies Tray I made using lots of Color Burst.

A banner made with Color Burst and Ken's new Watercolor paper.

Then I made lots of cards with Color Burst and Stamper's Anonymous goodies from Tim and Wendy.

I don't know why this look is on my face...well maybe I do...but here I am demoing on the first day. Believe it or not, we were the only booth that had any paper crafting in it. I felt my samples were very out of place with all the fine art at the show. I won't make that mistake next time.

So, I had to create some artsy canvases. I am loving Ken's new Liquid Metals. I wish this was four times the size, and I'd hang it in my house. Cool huh?

Then I started altering large sheets of Canvas Corp paper that would look awesome on canvas. I love this one!

How fun is this one?!!

Now Canvas Corp has leathery like papers that you can sew on and even wash. I went crazy with the Color Burst on this yearling calf.

Then I was challenged to do a face. This was on a small piece of watercolor paper, and I so wished it was much larger. Color Burst can do some amazing things!

 

By the end of the show, I had samples everywhere!

My hands were stained everyday after the show, so it was Amodex to the rescue. I need to buy stock in this company. This stuff cleans skin, fabric, jewelry, permanent marker, anything! It's all nontoxic, and it was a nice treat to get a scrub everyday!

 

The Gelli Arts ladies were right next to us, so I visited them a lot. I was so humbled that they follow my blog...blew me away!

These jeans were even made from monoprint fabric with the Gelli Plate...AWESOME!!!

How cool is this?!! These guys sell 3 D Dry Erase Boards called Twisted Boards. You can design a zillion types of faces and then erase them! Completely innovative!

All these papers are handmade and absolutely stunning from Black Ink Paper! The texture was fabulous, and I want them all!

I wish I got his name, but he does a lot of murals, and here is a small scale of a larger one he did. It was beyond fabulous. The brick texture was unreal!!! I love his elephant too!!! Do you see what I mean by inspiring?!!

Some gorgeous Winsor and Newton paintings!

The beautiful Tracy Weinzapfel Stratton of Decor Art. She taught me a new trick for my art journals.

The Golden booth was fabulous!!! Talk about inspiring, and they gave out food and beer!

New Products at the show!

Enkaustikos! I visited there a lot, and they knew I taught with encaustic medium. Crazy!!!

Natural Walnut Ink paintings!

Another favorite...R&F Encaustics! I scored some samples here! I can't wait to use them!

My favorite booth of all was the Pebeo Booth! I learned mounds, and met such awesome artists!

This was stunning!!!

 

This is the famous Karla Leopold! I LOVE her! She taught me all kinds of stuff. She was working for Pebeo. I want to be her best friend!

The Amsterdam Booth! I want some of those water soluable Cobra Oil Paints!!!

So I seriously should have done a few posts of the show, right? Can you feel my excitement about it? I am having dreams of a mega huge canvas slathered with every kind of paint!!! I cannot wait for some ME play time! Alas though, I am on my way out of town again to play with Color Burst once more, but this time at The Crafty Scrapper in Waxahachie. I'm doing an impromptu play day with whoever wants to come this Monday, so if you are in the area, come on down. 

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!