The History of
Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors
In the mid 1980s Carl Plansky began making paint for himself and his friends in the
Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. He had no intention of turning his
passion into a business, but the interest of his fellow artists escalated to a point where
the business of 'Williamsburg Art Supply' was established out of necessity.
Beginning with a small milling machine provided by a former employer, Carl's paint making
operation grew to employ several people and was moved to Oneonta, New York. Never
planning or aspiring to a take-over of the oil paint market, Williamsburg's oil paints accumulated
a following and international presence while preserving the handmade integrity of the paint.
Carl had always been interested in pigments, oils, mediums, and old-world recipes, and
enjoyed experimenting with traditional materials. Wherever he traveled he would research
the history of painting and the relationship between painters and paint makers.
In France he bought colors from the houses that had made paints for Monet, Matisse,
and Cezanne then analyzed their paint to see how fine or coarse the grind was and to
determine where they found their pigments and oils. With this same passion, he
continued to search for the most beautiful raw materials in the world, importing pigments
from dozens of countries so he could offer them to his fellow artists as paint and dry pigment.
The legacy and integrity of Carl's paint business survived his death in October of 2009.
The team he built at Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors has preserved the passion and creativity
that Carl imparted under the leadership of Beverly Plansky, Carl's sister and business
partner.
In the Spring of 2010 Golden Artist Colors offered to assume responsibility for realizing Carl's dream for truly
unique paints and mediums that reflect not only the traditions of painting in Europe and North America, but the
artist's passion that drives them forward. Carl himself claimed that only Golden Artist Colors could make oil paints
with the integrity and style of Williamsburg.
GOLDEN and Williamsburg have shared more than geography (Oneonta and New Berlin are just 20 miles
from each other), but very similar paths developing paint out of dialog with artists and growing as
businesses by responding to artists' needs. Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors is proud to now be a member
of the GOLDEN family.
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Carl Plansky
The Tube Filling Process
The Finished Products