Printmakingblog

Graphic Chemical & Ink Company is a world leader in the fine art field of printmaking. We manufacture our own time-tested inks for etching, litho and relief printing, as well as sell screen print inks, papers, tools, chemistry, plates and supplies for all of a printmaker's needs

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Location: Villa Park, Illinois, United States

I have worked for Graphic Chemical & Ink Company since 1968 - with a brief hiatus(almost 4 years) to travel the World courtesy of my uncle. Sadly it turns out it was my Uncle Sam, and I wasn't too thrilled about the places that he chose to send me. My wife and I have run Graphic Chemical for many years, and have enjoyed the travel that comes with the position. We get to meet our customers (and the occasional vendor) from all over the World

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

SGC - IT'S AROUND THE CORNER

With Southern Graphics Council just a few short weeks away, I have to admit that I'm really surprised by the number of people that have indicated that this will be the first SGC show that they will attend.

Kansas City, MO isn't what I would consider a classic southern city, but it is a great art community. In fact, the past several SGC conferences have been in predominantly northern cities like Boston, MA, Piscataway, NJ, and Madison, WI. Only Washington, DC slips in as a mostly southern city. The one thing that all have in common, is that they produced an incredibly hospitable venue for this great show.

No word yet on how many vendors will be attending, nor on the number of registrants expected, but I'm sure both numbers will be near records. Back in 1985, when SGC was at Rice University in Houston, TX, there was but one vendor in attendance. I know this with certainty because it was us. It was really rough being the only one there with several hundred printmakers trying to buy anything that we had. I am pleased that in addition to the overall attendance, that the number of vendors has risen sharply in the past.

Graphic is planning another raffle drawing again this year. The first prize is scheduled to be a leather roller and small litho stone, along with some inks and related materials that the average lithographer can't do without. This is a pretty nice set of products, and all it costs you is the time and energy to fill out an entry form.

If I were to get on my soapbox, I'd suggest that the various sites that host SGC should consider including a vendor in the planning of the event. Too often, especially in the past few years, the product fair is scheduled without any input from those of us who have to put the fair on. The classic mistake was years ago, when the school that was hosting determined that the vendors should have the best location available. We did have it too, it was great! The problem was that all of the artists attending the show were a mile away in the Art Department while we were in the Student Union by ourselves for two days. For the brave few who trekked over to the Student Union it was great - bargain deals and lots of attention.

Putting the soapbox away for the time being, I heartily encourage you to consider attending this show. It doesn't matter if you are a student, professor, run a studio or an independent artist. There's lot's for you to do and see, and a great city to do and see it in. Pile up your spouse, significant other, the kids and a pet or two and get yourself to Kansas City from March 21-24, 2007. You'll thank me later. As that old Cajun Chef used to say...I guar-un-tee it!

Monday, February 26, 2007

SCAM ALERT


Alright, so I was a little off on the Super Bowl. Just goes to show you that I'm human. In that vein, my wife says that I'm very human. Just wait until next year!

Every once in a while we hear one that bears retelling, if for no other reason than to give you a heads up.

We had a customer recently that requested a C.O.D. shipment, which we sent out with one of our lesser-used small package carriers. When the package was delivered, the customer wrote a check for $75 and asked the driver who the check should be made out to. The driver seemed to be very willing to help, and suggested that he had a stamp that he could use on the check to save our customer a little time.

Here's where the story turns a little sour. When the customer went to place another order, they were informed that the C.O.D. still hadn't been paid. The customer immediately sent us a PDF of the check (front and back), which we then sent to the carrier. The driver became an ex-driver on the spot, since he had written his own name on the pay to line of the check, not his employers or ours!

The lesson...we use only reputable carriers, whose drivers are well trained, honest and hard working. Every once in a while a bad apple gets through the process, but it's rare. Before you give a check to the driver it should be made out to Graphic Chemical & Ink Company or whichever of our companies you have ordered from. Sound business practices usually make for a better relationship, but in this case, there's no way our customer would have known better. This is an isolated incident but it should serve as a warning for all of us.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

SUPER BOWL LXI


As this is written, the 2007 Super Bowl is a mere 20 hours away, and the residents of Chicago and Indianapolis are anxiously awaiting the victories that both expect. Predictions range from a blow out for the Colts to the Bears squeaking by on a last minute field goal.

To our foreign readers...this is American football, not real football, which we call soccer. A field goal is worth three points, while a touchdown is worth six and a try at an extra point.

The biggest item of interest during a Super Bowl is the television commercials. They tend towards outrageous but entertaining, and the Las Vegas odds makers are taking bets on everything from who scores first to how long will Billy Joel take to sing the Star Spangled Banner!

The best prediction happened this morning on Public Radio, when former Baltimore Colt lineman, Art Donovan, who probably never heard of public radio before today, accurately predicted that both teams will show up for the game.

Finally, I took a scientific poll from among all members of my family currently in Illinois, and the result was ....Go Bears!

Friday, February 02, 2007

SGC - Kansas City


Wow! It's been almost a year since the Southern Graphics Council conference in Madison, WI, so here we are gearing up for this year's show in Kansas City. Hugh Merrill and his crew at the Kansas City Art Institute are leading the charge, but this is an effort by so many people in the Kansas City area, that's it's almost unfair to not to mention all of the players.

Online registration is available this year by going to http://sgc.kcai.edu/registration.html . There's alot to do at the conference, and it's geared for everybody, so plan on attending, you'll be glad you did.

The highlight of any SGC program is always the Product Fair - and no, I'm not biased! Well, maybe I am a little biased, but all of those people come just to see the vendors - I'm sure of it. If there was a second highlight this year, it would have to be the proposed Iron Printmaker competition (a knock off of the popular TV program - the Iron Chef). Printmaking teams will create prints along a secret theme, and judges will determine how well they've followed that theme. The

Look for Graphic to have some major news at the show. We're very pleased to announce an addition to the Graphic family, but you're going to have to wait a while to find out who or what it is.