Experincing the SNAP Conference
by Lori Wilson 

The SNAP Conference is an event centered around the lifestyle niche. Bloggers and influencers meet to not only be inspired by creative projects, but also to learn business, promotional, and marketing skills. The event is within a related industry but not direct competition to IDAL. The conference has close to 300 attendees and is held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two of our board members, Lori Wilson and Regina Garay, had the opportunity to attend the conference.

The 3-day conference mixed both business and creative classes. Lori and Regina were each able to attend most all of the classes, individually and separately, and gain great insights into digital marketing, creative ideas, as well as fun conference concepts to possibly incorporate into the yearly IDAL convention. Additionally, they were able to meet with a Mentorship Program expert while there, to help fully flesh out the IDAL Mentorship Program, pairing together decorative painting apprentices and mentors, that will soon be launched. The IDAL board looks forward to incorporating many of these ideas on behalf of the IDAL in programs for the members, local chapters, and the 2019 convention.

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Stirring it Up with Golden Paintworks
by Jim Rogers

“Stir it up” is a great name for an e-magazine and something that I’ve been doing in decorative painting for the past 40+ years. Stirring up products, stirring up the market, stirring up interest, stirring up the status quo.   It’s been many years since I’ve personally addressed the IDAL membership, which was not intentional by any means. Creating products for a creative audience has been my life, literally. I was born into the art materials manufacturing business, as it was my father’s passion, and I took that passion and aimed it at the decorative painting market. As the founder and past president of Modern Masters Inc., I’ve had the honor of meeting many of you through the years, and have been awestruck by some of the beautiful finishes that you produced with those products. This is a small industry, so many of you may know that my wife, Monique, and I are no longer part of Modern Masters. However, my love for this industry has never faded. Last year, I joined Golden Artist Colors, as the Director of Brands for Golden Paintworks, their division dedicated to decorative painting. I’ve always admired the Golden family for their passion for quality and dedication to the art community they serve. I plan to bring that same level of commitment to our segment of the creative world, and again, “stir it up” with Golden Paintworks.

As a manufacturer, I’ve always been of the mindset that we were creating materials that would eventually embellish and beautify someone’s surroundings, be it their home, or an environment where they could get away from it all. I didn’t create and sell paint products, that’s just goop in a can! We sell finishes! Well, the reality is, YOU bring meaning to the materials, and the time and money spent on developing these materials. Without your dedication, hard work, training, practicing and developing the beautiful, wall and furniture finishes for your clients, there would be no romance in making paint and coatings, and for that I am eternally grateful.

I believe our industry is on the verge of a major comeback. The Canadian market has been my barometer for the decorative market. It’s been quiet for a number of years, but those of you still climbing up and down a ladder, have more work than you know what to do with. There’s plenty of revitalized interest but not enough experienced finishers out there. Training the next generation of finishers should be a priority for all of us. We have to be advocates for each other, as this is the only way we can be successful on a long-term basis.  As a Platinum Sponsor, and a true believer in IDAL’s “visionary” mentorship program, Golden Paintworks will be participating for the betterment of our industry. I challenge all our industry manufacturers to get involved and be advocates for regrowth of our market.

We have instigated many changes with our branding and product offering since I joined Golden. I should have written this as a product launch piece, but we have plenty of time to get into all that. This is more of a “let’s get reacquainted” note from me to all of you.

To learn more about what Golden Paintworks has to offer, visit us at www.goldenpaintworks.com I look forward to my continued journey with IDAL and excited about all the opportunities this creative industry has to offer.

Say Hello to our
New IDAL Logo
by Regina Garay

As conference nears (and I hope many of you are able to attend), I thought I would write about something that likely won't be discussed much there, or covered in any of the workshops. But it is something that is vitally important to everyone, especially decorative artists:

The logo has a fresher take on the old font, a dynamic, brighter color, and a cleaner, more modern look. It contains the spirit of our original IDAL logo but is easier to use and adapts better in many different situations within our upcoming marketing and promotion plans.

The ombre coloring embodies the spirit of our membership – we all do varying shades of artistry: plasters, murals, finishes, and surfaces and yet we are all within the same decorative painting spectrum. The blue was chosen as it is a color attributed to trust, dependability, and strength, which is something we strive to provide through IDAL. The diamond star mark symbolizes that we consider each one of our members: an artistic star in their own right.

Throughout the rest of this year, you’ll see the updated logo incorporated in our promotion materials, website, and more. We hope you enjoy the fresh start to an organization that is evolving and growing to better meet your needs. Our new visual identity was created by GV Creative. We are proud to move forward with the update and hope that you enjoy it as well!