R&F Handmade Paints

There has been quite a bit of buzz lately about our Pigment Sticks.  More artists are becoming aware of what a great medium they are on their own but they are also being recognized for their unique ability to bridge different mediums.

Recently, we were fortunate to have Lisa Pressman here for the latest installment of our visiting artist series of workshops.  Lisa’s workshop, “Pigment Sticks and Mixed Media” covered a lot of ground in three days and participants generated an impressive amount of work.

The visiting artist series is a unique opportunity to experience a world class instructor/artist in R&F’s well stocked and equipped facility.

Thank you Lisa!!

Lisa and Richard

Last weeks Encaustic for Sculptors workshop taught by R&F’s Kelly McGrath was a huge hit.   Students were  introduced to many innovative 3D techniques and they produced an impressive body of work in just three days.

We are looking forward to an exciting year of mixed media and collaborative workshops as well as our tried and true comprehensive courses in in both encaustic and Pigment Stick.   Also keep an eye out for more in our series of visiting artists.    This year we are thrilled to have Lisa Pressman, Lorraine Glessner, Cat Crotchett, and Alexandre Masino here at R&F!!

Look here for more information or feel free to contact us to reserve a space!

I arrived at work early this morning, and though the rest of the building was dark, soft light and the sound of Hawaiian guitar music emanated from the small, curtained-off gallery space.  Artist Sean Sullivan has been spending all his spare time in there these days, and will continue to all this week as he prepares “LOST ON ROADS”, a new installation of works on paper to open this Saturday.

‘Spare time’ for Sean means when he’s not making some of the best artist paints in the world here at R&F, where he has been a paintmaker for the past three years.  So he spent the whole holiday break in the gallery, and has been spending evenings and early mornings making adjustments - all behind a plastic curtain.  Through his own unique creative force, Sean has transformed the Gallery at R&F into a kind of sanctuary.  The space was so magical this morning that I couldn’t help but share a sneak peek.  It will be interesting to see how much it changes between now and the opening, but for now, come on in and poke around with me, (and dig the shiny new finish on the gallery floor, thank you, Darin).

LOST ON ROADS, a new installation by Sean Sullivan, will open this Saturday evening, December 4th, 2010.  There will be an opening reception from 5-7 pm, with an informal artist talk at the start of the opening - please join us as we celebrate the work of our talented co-worker.  LOST ON ROADS will remain on view through January 22nd, 2011.

Jim Haskin and Richard Frumess in 1996

January 15, 1988 is an important anniversary here at R&F Handmade Paints.  He had been making encaustic paint since 1982, but that was the day that Richard Frumess, working from a basement in Brooklyn, went to New York Central Art Supply and made his first commercial sale as R&F Encaustics, Inc.

In 22 years there have been many changes, including the name of the company, but R&F still remains dedicated to making the best paint we can.

As the R&F family continues to grow and face the realities of today’s global market, we wanted to take a moment to look back and remember our humble beginnings.  For more on our history click here.

Our 2010 Workshop Schedule is now available.  We are excited to add new workshop locations, including the new Encaustic Art Institute in New Mexico, Penninsula Art School in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, and Seattle.  Our Visting Artist Series was such a hit this past year that we had to do it again - it is so much fun to have these wonderful artists come and spend time with us. The workshops are custom designed by each visiting artist, according to their own unique talents. This years’ line-up of artists includes figure painting with Francisco Benitez, oil stick painting with Charles Forsberg, and encaustic exploration with Cari Hernandez.  We have also added new one-day intensives that will focus on specific techniques.
Click here to view the full schedule.

Give the gift of a fabulous encaustic workshop and save!  R&F is offering a special 10% tuition discount for early registrants. To take advantage of this offer, just give us a call at (845) 331-3112, and say “I want the Early Registration Discount”. Please note that this offer is only good for workshops administered by R&F.  We have extended this discount from now until January 8th, 2010, so you don’t have to worry about signing up before the holiday rush.

Ultramarine Blue Pigment

Ultramarine Blue has a fabled history. It is naturally derived from the semiprecious gemstone lapis lazuli. It gets its name from the Latin, meaning beyond the sea, since the best source of lapis was in the northeastern corner what is now Afghanistan. (more…)

Cynthia Knott, Naiad, oil, encaustic, and metallic on linen, 40"x74", 2005

We are always thrilled when one of our customers gets well-deserved recognition. The latest instance was Cynthia Knott from eastern Long Island who recently received a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award in October. (more…)

Judy Sigunick, African Wild Dog, monotype

A wonderful exhibit took place this November at the Spencertown Academy Arts Center in Spencertown, NY. The exhibit was a fundraiser for Art for Animals and included works by professional artists and students from the Taconic Hills Middle School. (more…)

Jane Guthridge, Dancing Light 2", 19"x19"

Meininger’s in Denver, Colorado will be hosting an in-store encaustic demonstration on Saturday November 14th, from 1 - 3 pm. (more…)

Michelle Marcuse, Unaware of Daylight, encaustic on masonite, 16"x16"

Dick Blick in Philadelphia, PA will be hosting an encaustic and pigment stick demonstration on Thursday November 12th, 2009 from 4 - 6 pm. (more…)