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Golden Artist Colors purchases Williamsburg Handmade Oils

26 May, 2010 (17:02) | General

Yes it is true… Golden Artist Colors has purchased Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors and is now producing these fine products.  It’s been just three days since the Williamsburg folks have moved over here and started making oil paint in the Golden Custom Lab.  We’ve moved over all the equipment, pigments, and the rest of the materials and we’re in the start up phase for production.  Making sure all the machines are working correctly in their new location and getting used to the new systems here at Golden’s.  Janis and Amanda are helping us figure out the systems for getting the finished paints out to customers and Michael and Robert are teaching us the touch they have for milling and filling the tubes.  Derek took off for a long needed break but today was in top form making and overseeing new batches of color.  We are delighted that all the Williamsburg staff have made the move over the hill from Oneonta to join us here in New Berlin!  I hope they are patient with us…

 

Everyone of our lab technicians have been steeped in making oils during the past 3 month transition time, yet the learning will go on for quite some time.  The nuance of this product is what has made it an incredibly ambitious oil paint.  We are finding Carl’s old notes and recipes and these discoveries have been as rich as the oils we are producing.  It is our intention to be able maintain that same sense of excitement and pure joy that Carl experienced when creating and using the product that has been described to me in various ways by many of the artists that have been devoted to the Williamsburg sensibility.  This brand is truly owned by the many artists who have made it theirs.  We are committed to maintaining your trust and loyalty.

 An artist described in an email today from Italy… “I have no words to tell you how glad. Your colors are of exceptional quality, richer than all the others I have always used…”  I couldn’t be more proud to now have the responsibility of this rich legacy on our shoulders here.  As we have always at Golden, we measure our success in the many kind notes we receive from our customers.  I am confident that this measure will be no less important for our venture into these beautiful oil colors.

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Comments

Comment from pam farrell
Time: May 29, 2010, 3:17 pm

For most of my work I use either oil or encaustic. But whenever I need acrylic paints, I always use Golden paints. I’ve always loved the lush colors, consistency and range of products, and wished that Golden made a line of oil paints that would be as amazing as the acrylics. My go to for oil paints has been Williamsburg. I was sad to hear of Carl Plansky’s passing, and hoped the company would continue on. Now I am so glad to see that Williamsburg Paints will be manufactured at Golden, and by Williamsburg staff. Best of both worlds!

Comment from Mark
Time: May 31, 2010, 12:29 pm

Pam, I met Carl in 1984 when he was working at Torch Art Supply behind the counter and I was hand delivering paint to artists in the City. We had watched his Company grow in a way that was uniquely his shaping. It is about making beautiful colors, that’s it… I’m hoping we can maintain your confidence as we continue to learn. Best, Mark

Comment from john Fitzsimmons
Time: June 3, 2010, 6:45 pm

Mark, I am really glad this happened, I am sure Golden can take Williamsburg to the next level. Please don’t ever stop making the Italian Earths, I love the burnt siena, and the terra vert, and the ochre’s.

Comment from andrew treloar
Time: June 3, 2010, 8:36 pm

Hi Golden People,

Williamsburg was my touchstone during a period where i was in a job i didn’t like. Each time I had a rough, boring or frustrating day, I’d drop into St Luke Artist Colourmen here in Melbourne and buy a tube or two of Wburg. Needless to say I now have over 70 tubes, which I’ve realised will take a lifetime of discovery of all the nuances of each pigment. Please let each of them retain their own beautiful individual personality and colour. I love that they’re not standardized into a single consistency and texture across the range. Cheers!

Comment from Mark
Time: June 4, 2010, 12:44 pm

Andrew, we’re feeling the same excitement you felt when opening the tubes. Having had some time now to explore the colors and speaking with other artists, you’re concerns have been echoed by many others and very much understood. It is our intention to retain all the discoveries and beauty of all the unique colors Carl had introduced. It is also our intent to continue to introduce those things that Carl dreamed about but never had the chance to realize. Some great things to come!

Comment from lucy mink
Time: June 7, 2010, 7:06 pm

now that this is in place can I come work for you guys making these fabulous oil paints.

Comment from Karen
Time: April 5, 2017, 9:41 am

Thank you for continuing the Williamsburg tradition, except for Pyrazolone Red Scarlet….which I do miss!!! Reds are and always have been the artist’s biggest problem, n’est-ce pas?

Comment from Mark
Time: April 5, 2017, 9:46 am

Karen, thanks for your support. It is always a sad day anytime we lose a color! This one was for the right reasons for its lack of permanency… Still a loss. Best, Mark

Comment from J.A.
Time: December 26, 2022, 1:59 pm

Karen, Pyrazolone Red (PR 38) isn’t lightfast so Golden made the right decision. The benzidine in the molecule also is implicated in bladder cancer for dye industry workers, according to the EPA.

Much better choices for vermilion to scarlet organic pigments are PR 251, PR 168, PR 255, and PR 254. If you want the most opacity, then a cadmium is in order.

If PR 251 is still being manufactured it would be nice for more lines to pick it up.

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