Instead of making paint, staff was using it.

On June 21, 2010, GOLDEN shut down operations and celebrated Paint Day, an opportunity for all staff to paint and take workshops from the professional artists of the GOLDEN Working ArtistsSM Program. Employees were given the chance to be artists for the day, spending their time pushing around paint, experimenting with materials and being creative!

“It was an opportunity for folks to see the materials through the artist’s eyes and experience the paint as users and not makers,” said GOLDEN President, Barbara Schindler. “It was a day for collaboration, idea sharing and just fun!”

“The Working Artists are always excited to visit the factory and spend time with staff,” said Artist and Working Artists Program Director, Patti Brady. “It was a joy to see their faces light up at the unexpected discovery that often times happens when painting. Even more rewarding was observing the interaction between the Working Artists and GOLDEN staff. This one-on-one interaction in the class is what has made the Program so strong in the last 13 years.”

Paint Day gave these professionals an opportunity to teach folks more used to making, testing, filling and shipping the paint. “The challenge,” described Brady, “was to ensure that all staff was able to at least touch that spark that is the driving force for every artist and to understand why painting with GOLDEN products is such a passion for so many artists.”

The Working Artists are professionals whose credentials range from Masters of Fine Arts to Masters in Education. The majority of artists maintain a rigorous studio practice while continuing to exhibit in national, international, group and solo shows.