Almost a Year and We're Still Growing!

As each shipment comes in, it seems that we have less time to let our customers know. Every request and every suggestion is noted and we've been adding these items to our orders as we go. If you haven't been in the store in the last month, we've increased our variety of offerings considerably.

We've just restocked our oil painting section with the popular Cennini products:
OPTICAL WHITE (a zinc white ground with hollow nanospheres that won't desaturate your colors!) and
CLOVE OIL (add a drop to paint to slow the drying, add to emulsions and glues to prevent mold and bacteria. Wonderful smell that fills the studio!).

We're now also carrying their TITANIUM & BLACK OIL Primer that likewise is formulated with nanospheres for much improved resistance to cracking, and Black Oil that insures a trouble-free surface. This primer is a bright white that dries to touch over a weekend and cures quickly. Neither too absorbant (like acrylic primer) or too slick, the dried surface accepts paint beautifully.

Our Handmade and Decorative Papers are constantly being renewed with new papers every month. Come and see our fresh selection.

For all you pastel artists, in addition to our growing selection of Unison Pastels, we just received some sets of semi-hard Richeson pastels. Also, a very useful tool called a Pastel Shaper that can sharpen/shape your soft pastels and retain the shavings for reuse. To carry all those delicate pastels, we found some great empty boxes with segmented foam inserts for storing and protecting 18 and 72 pastels. We are growing our selection of our ever-popular, locally-produced, nationally-touted UART sanded pastel paper. We've gotten many requests for their mounted sheets on 4 ply conservation board; our orders for this product should be arriving next week.

For hanging your art we carry a full line of OOKS, the best hardware to use on plaster walls without damage. For those doing architectural modeling we now have chipboard. For all your presentation needs we have presentation boards and kits with lettering and headers and foam-core up to 4 feet x 8 feet sheets. Plein air painters, we have many different options for handling your wet-canvases. Erasers of every type and glues galore.

There's a lot of activity going on in our neighborhood- and Newburgh at large- click on our ARTS CALENDAR link on the right and bookmark it. We'll be open 1 year on the 26th of this month. Since then Liberty Street has become a magnet for new and relocating businesses and several more are soon to open. Come out and support local business- we're reinvesting in the local community!

Liberty Street in the City of Newburgh- THE Place to Be!

With the upside down economy, figures the City of Newburgh has other ideas. In today's Times Herald Record is a story about the new restaurant, The Wherehouse, opening later this month two blocks away from our shop. Just last week, Washington Park Florist, opened next door to us at 85 Liberty Street. Mary Lewis' long-awaited cheesecake bakery is finally scheduled to open later this month at 89 Liberty Street. Cafe Macchiato continues to dish up the best authentic Italian brunch/lunch in a warm atmosphere. Habitat's ReStore around the corner on Washington Street has a continually changing stock of bargains- all for a great cause.

Our store is still re-stocking from the holidays and we're always introducing new arts-related supplies. We'll soon be sending out an email about our newest finds. Stay tuned here. We're also about to post some of the great offerings in our souvenir shop, The Palatine Shop.

Holography Magic

Earlier this summer we received a gift from my mentor, Rudie Berkhout, to celebrate the opening of the shop. If you pass by the store after dark- and before we close- you will notice green sparkles of light strewn over the sidewalk in front of the store, some extending as far as the Headquarters. The gift was one of his Novia lighting apparatus that combines the newer portable bright solid state lasers and advanced holographic technology.

Rudie was a world-renowned holographic artist- who Michael apprenticed with for seven years- in New York City. He's known for inventions in the holographic world that even the holographic scientists at MIT were impressed with. His holographic art always tested boundaries of the medium. Some of his imagery spanned over 3 meters originating from a flat surface.

This past summer, we crossed paths again in another realm, celebrating the kick off at the DIA:Beacon of Art Along the Hudson, which now encompasses 7 Hudson Valley cities on the Hudson River. He's been instrumental in Catskill's very successful revival, restoring four buildings on their main street.

He passed away in September.

"My hope is to reach the subtler levels of perception, holding up mirrors for thoughts, that reflect the magic that surrounds us."
- Rudie Berkhout (1946 - 2008)

Crayon Rocks- IN THE NEWS!

In the November issue of Today's Advocate...page 13
"Therapeutic crayon rocks are environmentally friendly, too"

Although the demand for Crayon Rocks is now international- a demand that cannot be met from a garage- she (inventor Barbara Lee DaBoll) is not swayed by its success. Ever the teacher, her ultimate gratification is in the dotted I's and crossed T's- literally. And that impressed Michael Gabor and Gerardo Castro- co-owners of Newburgh Art Supply in Newburgh. As they researched innovative products- particularly those that are more environmentally friendly- they were intrigued by Crayon Rocks.*

"She invented these not to make money, but to solve a problem"*, says Gabor. "They're the only non-petroleum crayon that's affordable- and made in the United States." They carry the treasure bag of eight, the durable clear box of the 16 colors and a vacuum sealed bag of 64 pieces of Just Rocks, perfect for a classroom.

*clarified quotes

Check Out Our Newest Finds!

We are very excited about all the hard-to-find art materials we've been able to purchase- with much research and digging- and our customers' welcome suggestions....

For the serious traditional oil painter we now carry an amazing Grisaille painting set- that exactly matches the Munsell Neutral Gray Scale. From the same company we also have Oil of Clove (add just a drop to paint to slow the drying- wonderful smell that fills the studio!) and Pre-Rafaelite Medium (historically accurate replication of the best of the mediums used by the Pre-Rafaelite painters. Colors stay bright, dries quickly and handles with smoothness and precision.) The kicker though is the Optical White- a zinc white ground with hollow nanospheres that won't desaturate your colors! Check out our sample canvas- you've gotta see it to believe it!

For those delving into printmaking we now have Subi Block Printing Papers and a good selection of inks by Speedball, Letraset and Sanford Higgins. For those working with pastels: a locally manufactured (Spring Valley, NY) sanded pastel paper, Uart, is getting some deserved national attention for its high quality and consistent surfaces. Unlike its better known competitors, this paper is manufactured by the company itself- not a third party- so quality control is better monitored. We're now carrying 24"x36" sheets of the 400 and 800 grit. And don't forget about our continually changing stock of handmade papers from around the world!

For the kids we just replenished our stock of O'Bon newspaper-wrapped pencils and pens, bagasse journals and extraordinary recycled paper folders. From our gleanings of the local big box stores we noticed that none of them carry glue sticks (or glues for that matter) that are non-toxic and kid-friendly. After looking long and hard we found a glue that's been made in Italy since the 1927 called Coccoina. It's totally non-toxic, comes in 3 sizes of glue sticks and a cool can with brush and, as a nice bonus, smells great!

We're continuously receiving new shipments every week. Check us out and let us know what you're looking for. If we don't have it we most likely can get it. You're bound to find products that you didn't even know existed that may just inspire your next project- or make great gifts!

Thanks to Everyone Who Made Our First Month a Success!

Wow! We are overcome by all the support we've received from the local community and beyond. While we were aware we've introduced a resource that has been lacking in the local vicinity, we didn't predict the response we've gotten. As we await new stock- to replenish our inventory and new items from all your great suggestions- we'd like to take a moment to thank you for your patronage and feedback. Come back soon and spread the word!

Cheers from the THR editors

Cheers...

To the business owners putting down roots in the neighborhood around Washington's Headquarters in Newburgh, an area with great architecture and great potential. Caffe Macchiato, Newburgh Art Supply, the Palatine Shop, the Cheesecake Lady, and others will help bring customers to the area and help encourage the transition from the boarded-up buildings in one direction and the vibrant waterfront development in another.