We hope Just Paint has been a valuable resource for artists, educators, material scientists and conservators to allow us to share our research and insights on the range of products we produce. I am seizing this space to extend a personal thank you to all of you who have supported our products over all these decades. At the beginning of this month we announced that Golden Artist Colors is now 100% owned by the staff — a wonderful culmination of succession planning that we began over 20 years ago! What I want you to know is that you couldn’t have a more dedicated and engaged group of owners, who understand that to succeed in the future they need to maintain and even more so, to advance the work, improve the level of service, and expand the resources available to all of you.
During this 41-year journey, I have been joined by incredible talent. While my wife Barbara and I started with an unbelievable jump start with the mentorship of my Dad, Sam Golden — a pioneering paint maker — and my mother Adele, who kept the ship afloat during the very fragile early years, it has been the many people here who have made Golden Artist Colors’ mission part of their full commitment that has truly allowed this organization to flourish.
This ownership mentality has been part of the organization since we began our profit sharing program with all staff in 1987, which was actually the first year we made a profit. This ownership culture could not have been more evident than during the last 20 months. It would be a mistake to avoid sharing the difficulties that we’ve experienced during this COVID era. Supply shortages, breaks in supply chain, transportation break down, discontinuation of raw materials and pigments from manufacturers and the various COVID lock-down periods have disappointed all of us from the high standards we’ve all been so committed to support. What you don’t know from the outside are the incredible planning and purchasing efforts that have required daily and sometimes even hourly changes in Operations. These changes have required Production, Shipping and support staff to work all sorts of crazy schedules to keep materials flowing through the shop.
These times have truly tested this incredible team. I am so proud to have handed this amazing company over to these people, who have always given their hands and head to the company, but even more so have given their hearts. It is also important to recognize the families that have shared in their sacrifices to build something wonderfully special. Barbara and I and our entire family extend our never-ending gratitude.
While Barbara will be retiring this December to enjoy her grandchild(ren) and support the Artist Residency, I will continue to do what I love — work with some of the most creative people in the world in helping to strategically lead the company into the future. I am also committed to the Vision of Golden Artist Colors, “To be a catalyst bridging creative communities and inspiring positive global change through the arts.” I have never been more inspired to bring to the artists that have continued to support us all these years, our continued efforts in doing what we do best: To bring you the tools that continue to inspire and delight.
Warmest regards,
Mark
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Thank you Mark. You are the best paint company in the world! The quality of your paint and the level of your customer service is truly exceptional.
Richard thank you!
I gather from this that you are stepping back. May I, as one who has witnessed your journey from the beginning, offer my thanks and congratulations for your achievement. I experimented with acrylic paint when it first became available in the UK in the 1960s. There were some interesting things you could do but on balance oil paints continued to offer a technical range that was mostly unavailable with the acrylic medium at the time. I later moved to Canada and continued to be curious about the new medium. I did use Bocour Magna paints in the 1970s but frankly found the door somewhat repellent. A few months ago I discovered in a drawer a partially used tube of Aqua-Tec Iridescent white. I am obviously not one to throw things away! In 1980, a company in Saskatoon called Art Placement became an early stockist of your paints. They were enthusiastic about the quality and this is probably where my efforts with acrylic paint really began. Even so, it took a further 15 years before this became my main medium. May I also add, that I applaud the decision by you and your wife to hand over the company to your employees. It is an ingenious and creative solution that will ensure that Golden Paints are available to painters long after I have ‘shuffled off this mortal coil.’
Dear Bryan, thank you so much for your note. I has been a wonderful journey to get to this point. Art Placement was a great store and supporter of the Company. Although Barbara is stepping back at the end of the year, I’m still excited about the opportunities ahead to continue to guide Golden Artist Colors. Thankfully, I am surrounded by incredible people who have joined us over the years, with much greater skills and talents than I, that have and will continue to move this company forward well beyond the both of us Bryan!!
Best of the best possible wishes to you, Mark and Barbara. Thank you for letting me and so many others hang out around the edges. We think we have the best part which is the great products we can trust, but I’m pretty well-convinced that many of the hands-minds-hearts that show up every day in New Berlin might also have the best part.
What a great community and what a great history.
What a great spirit and big heart.
Thank you for all you (all) do. Godspeed.
Stephen, Thanks for being a wonderful part of this journey together. Best, Mark
I always and greatly appreciate the care, and expertise, with which you process my many requests. I have learned so much from Golden Paints. Thanks!
Tony, Hopefully we’ll get back together in person soon! Warmest regards, Mark
i know that the quality and diversity of your products is great. i use them.
also the customers service.
wish you the best and that you remain providing them for a long time.
Thanks Phil, We hope far a long time to come as well. In fact the move to 100% Employee ownership was precisely with this objective. A great team here of thankfully some wonderfully young folks!!!
Thankyou for your paint!
Since my first dip of acrylic paint in the 1980’s until now I am in my 70’s I have enjoyed using GOLDEN paints. They have inspired me to push my skills to become the artist I am today. Without GOLDEN paints I know I would have ended my quest to become an artist at all.
Wishing all of the best at GOLDEN
Mark Williams
Looking over my post I see that predictive text has got me again! “Finding the door somewhat repellent “ makes no sense. The word was odor or odour.
Bryan, I understood the typo. But it did make me laugh!!!
Golden is not perfect but They constantly progress, and not hesitate to try new thing and are mayby the most transparent artist paint company to customer about what they do and for lightfastness of their paint, i love what you have do, being an employee owned company,
when i compare to other paint, they Can be close on quality for some, but Nevers better than golden, the Price in France is realy so high now, but i continue to buy golden, it’s more just than exceptional acrylic paint, golden have aquire knolwege to make the best paint, but make usefull tools like virtual paint mixer, have just paint which publie technicals articles, the Line of product is huge but have permit to explore thing and make my art greater and wider, the deseaper of Po71 and pr206 is problematic Po71 far more, i love this pigment
i Hope they will be a single replacement for and transparent orange with good chroma like this whith excellent lightfastness even in tint i have search and i have found nothing at this time, the New metalic that comes is exiting but a replacement for po71 will be more for me, quin red light + nickel azo yellow, maybe a not bad replacement, i will try this, i have nickel azo, i love it so much exceptional pigments
Isoindolinone py110 is a good deep yellow-orange lightfast pigment to i think, in an other life i will be happy to be a pigments manufacturer exclusivly for artists colors applications and sell beatyfull lightfast pigment to golden
Dear Julien, the story with pigment discontinuations is a difficult one. We made Quinacridone Gold our signature color as well as the Quinacridone Red Light and Burnt Orange. Now they have all been cancelled by manufacturers. COVD has created a good deal of changes in our industry and we’re battling to keep up with the changes. Thankfully, their are some new exciting colors on the horizon, yet all of them require evaluation and testing before we will feel confident to introduce them. I hope all is well! My best, Mark
still you doing good work with good speed thanks to all.