GOLDEN Artist Colors are known for their innovation & collaborative ethos, easily making them one of the most exciting brands we've had the pleasure of working with here at Cowling & Wilcox. We've been wanting to talk about them for some time now, but we simply haven't had the chance... until today!
We could easily spend days gushing about their frankly impressive catalogue of materials... so, in an effort at self control, we're going to keep it simple.
If you've never used GOLDEN materials, read ahead for a breakdown of their acrylic colour ranges.
If you have used GOLDEN materials before, still read ahead, you may come across something new.
But first, where best to begin than at the beginning..?
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"humble beginnings"
Boucour Artist Colors
At the height of the Great Depression in 1933, Sam Golden travelled to Manhattan, joining his uncle as a partner in Bocour Artist Colors.
Specialising in hand-ground oil colours, word soon spread, quickly turning the little shop into a popular hangout space for artists (including Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko & Jackson Pollock, amongst others).
One day, after being handed a honey-like resin, development of a brand new paint was soon underway.
Finding that the earliest iterations of this paint would actually dry before application, Sam worked tirelessly over the course of several years until, finally... the first ever acrylic paint "Magna" was ready for distribution, which was followed eventually with a water-based version named "Aquatec".
This is about where most stories would end.
After all, spending the majority of your life essentially revolutionising the entire process of painting would be enough for most of us.
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GOLDEN Artist Colors
By 1980, Sam was 67 years of age & enjoying a well-earned, peaceful life of golf & fishing after retiring to New Berlin, New York.
However, he would often find himself "going to the barn to make paints for friends" & by June of the same year, joined by his wife Adele, son Mark & daughter-in-law Barbara, GOLDEN Artist Colors was founded right there in that very barn.
Through hard work & determination, these humble beginnings led to recognition amongst creative communities across the globe.
And despite their amazing level of growth & notoriety, all of their materials are still being conceptualised, developed & produced on the very same grounds where that original barn stood so long ago.
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The oldest & most varied range included here, GOLDEN were clearly determined to set the bar high immediately with their exceptionally smooth Heavy Body acrylic colours.
Permanent & lightfast with exceptional coverage achieved through a formula pairing the finest-quality pigments with 100% acrylic emulsion.
Containing no fillers, extenders, toners, dyes or matting agents, the 134 colour palette offers the largest assortment of unique pure pigments available to professional artists today.
Available individually:
Also available in two hand-picked sets:
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For centuries now, artists looking for the perfect opacity & matte finish have turned to gouache.
However, despite these benefits, their sensitivity can often be restrictive... SoFlat moves beyond these limitations.
With a unique formulation providing a velvety-smooth application, flowing consistency, exceptional coverage & an opacity unseen in other acrylic paints. Drying to a completely glare-free finish enabling the true depth & intensity of the 40 available colours to speak for themselves.
Perhaps their most distinctive quality (and one that may be unique to SoFlat), is their natural levelling ability, relaxing the paint after being brushed out & greatly minimising the appearance of brushstrokes for uninterrupted fields of rich matte colours.
Available individually:
Along with two sets influenced by high-chroma intensity & mid-century pop art respectively:
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With the same level of highly-concentrated pigments found in their Heavy Body range, Fluid Acrylics combine intense colours, tinting strength, film integrity & surface adhesion with a heavy cream-like viscosity. Their flowing consistency is much sought after, having been achieved without the use of fillers, extenders or additional water.
Exceptionally versatile, Fluid Acrylics blend effortlessly with other acrylic colours for a variety of techniques including dry brushing, fine detailing, pouring, spraying, staining, glazing & more!
Produced through a combination of acrylic polymers & concentrated levels of high-quality pigments, each of the 80 available colours is permanent & lightfast, with a vibrancy able to tint gels, mediums, gessoes & grounds.
Available individually:
Along with an introductory set of the most popular & versatile colours:
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Ultra-thin High Flow Acrylics have an ink-like consistency uniquely able to be used directly from bottle to airbrush, refillable marker, dip pen or reservoir brush. In yet another show of versatility from GOLDEN, High Flow Acrylics are fantastic for a variety of techniques including (but not limited to) drawing, staining, dripping, pouring & colour washes.
Despite their ink-like behaviour, they're still in fact an acrylic, making them compatible with other GOLDEN acrylic colours & mediums, offering a palette with many single-pigment colours, including both iridescent & metallic tones.
Exclusively available in a set of colours chosen for their popularity & versatility.
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Feeling Inspired?
We've only highlighted a small fraction of the products available through GOLDEN, they also produce an assortment of mediums, additives & varnishes to really let you get your artistic vision just right. Click here to view the full scope of their range for yourself.
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Telephone: 01303 290 550
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