Ampersand Art Supply

What Ampersand Art Supply does

Ampersand Art Supply, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned manufacturer of archival artist panels and surfaces headquartered in Buda, Texas, founded in 1993 by Elaine Salazar alongside Charles and Barbara Ewing. The company produces eleven specialized Museum Series panel surfaces — including Claybord, Aquabord, Scratchbord, Gessobord, Encausticbord, Pastelbord, Hardbord, Primed Canvas Texture, Primed Smooth, Unprimed Basswood, and Woodpanel — built on a proprietary Archiva-Seal barrier technology applied between FSC-certified Aspen high-density hardboard substrates and painting grounds to prevent Support Induced Discoloration (SID) and ensure archival longevity. Museum Series panels use 13-ply birch plywood cradles for warp resistance and are formaldehyde-free; the company also sells complementary Floaterframes and Duoframes, scratchboard tools and inks, and educational kits.

The business operates a wholesale/B2B2C model, selling exclusively through third-party art supply retailers (Dick Blick, Jerry's Artarama, Amazon, and hundreds of independent stores globally) rather than direct-to-consumer, with the sole exception of custom panel orders (up to 48" x 90", $50 minimum, 4–8 week lead time). Primary customers are professional fine artists across media including watercolor, oil, encaustic, pastel, and scratchboard, with secondary segments of hobbyists, art educators, and the retail distribution partners themselves. Manufacturing is concentrated in a 100,000 sq ft facility in Buda, TX, with international distribution spanning 30+ countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. The company holds trademarks on all major product lines and has co-developed category-defining products such as Encausticbord with R&F Handmade Paints.

Name

Ampersand Art Supply

Legal name

Ampersand Art Supply, Inc.

Website

https://ampersandart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ampersand Art Supply is a privately held Texas-based manufacturer of eleven specialized archival artist panel surfaces, using proprietary Archiva-Seal barrier technology to prevent discoloration. It sells wholesale through art supply retailers in 30+ countries, serving professional and hobbyist fine artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Panels and Painting Surfaces

NAICS

Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing (3212)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Hardwood Plywood & Decorative Panels Manufacturing (IMAMACAB)

Keywords

• Archival art panels
• Painting surfaces
• Artist supplies
• Floater frames
• Custom wood panels

Headquarters

HQ city

Buda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Art Panel Product Sales: Revenue generated from selling Museum Series art panels and related products through retail art supply store partners and online retailers. Products include Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Hardbord, Pastelbord, Scratchbord, Encausticbord, Unprimed Basswood, Primed Canvas Texture, Primed Smooth, and Woodpanel.
2. Floaterframes and Duoframes: Sales of proprietary framing solutions including Floaterframes (in Black, White, Maple, Walnut finishes in Bold and Thin styles) and Duoframe versatile frames.
3. Custom Panel Orders: Custom-sized panel orders up to 48 x 90 inches with various cradle depths. Direct sales channel for custom panels only, with approximately 4-8 week turnaround time.
4. Tools, Accessories and Kits: Sales of Scratchbord tools (knives, line tools, wire brushes, fiber brushes), Scratchbord/Claybord inks, tool kits, steel wool, and Scratchbord project kits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Ampersand Art Supply manufactures and sells archival-quality artist panels and painting surfaces through the Museum Series line, which includes eleven specialized substrates (Aquabord, Claybord, Scratchbord, Gessobord, Encausticbord, Pastelbord, Hardbord, Primed Canvas Texture, Primed Smooth, Unprimed Basswood, and Woodpanel) along with proprietary Floaterframe and Duoframe display frames. The company also offers Scratchbord tools, inks, project kits, and a custom panel manufacturing service for sizes up to 48x90 inches. Products are sold exclusively through art supply retail partners (national chains, independent stores, online retailers) and distributed in 30+ countries, with all panels handcrafted at a 100,000 sq ft factory in Buda, Texas using FSC-certified Aspen wood and proprietary Archiva-Seal barrier technology.

Product overview

Ampersand Art Supply is a manufacturer of archival artist panels and art surface products. The product portfolio centers on Museum Series panels (Claybord, Aquabord, Scratchbord, Gessobord, Encausticbord, Pastelbord, Hardbord, Primed Canvas Texture, Primed Smooth, Unprimed Basswood, and Woodpanel) made with proprietary Archiva-Seal technology that prevents Support Induced Discoloration (SID). Panels are constructed on high-density Hardbord substrate with 13-ply birch plywood cradles. Complementing the panels are Floaterframes and Duoframe display frames designed specifically for panel artwork. The company also offers specialized tools (Scratchbord Knife, Line Tool, Wire Brush, Fiber Brush, Steel Wool), Scratchbord/Claybord Inks, and educational kits including Scratchbord Project Kits and how-to DVDs. Custom panel manufacturing is available up to 48" x 90" with various configurations. All products are handcrafted in Buda, Texas, using FSC-certified Aspen wood and are formaldehyde-free.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aquabord Textured, absorbent watercolor panel designed for watercolor and water-based media, with a coated surface that allows artists to lift and rework colors for vibrant watercolor effects.
• Claybord Smooth, absorbent clay-coated panel for multi-media art, acrylics, inks, and scratchboard techniques, allowing fine detail work. The original Ampersand product.
• Claybord Art Tiles Compact clay-coated tiles made from Claybord for small-scale artwork and detailed projects.
• Claybord Box Kit Claybord panel packaged as a complete kit for resin pours and mixed media box art projects.
• Encausticbord Fine texture, absorbent panel designed specifically for encaustic painting; co-developed with R&F Handmade Paints to prevent air bubbles common with unprimed panels.
• Gessobord Semi-absorbent panel suitable for a wide range of media including oils, acrylics, and mixed media.
• Gessobord Shadow Box Gessobord panel designed as a shadow box for three-dimensional artwork display.
• Hardbord Less absorbent panel made from high-density HDF hardboard without wood grain; highly warp and moisture resistant, suitable for all media. Made from FSC-certified Aspen wood fibers.
• Pastelbord Absorbent panel specifically designed for pastel and oil pastel artwork, holding pastel pigment exceptionally well.
• Primed Canvas Texture Panel with canvas texture finish, less absorbent, suitable for oils and acrylics with a traditional canvas feel.
• Primed Smooth Semi-absorbent panel with smooth primed surface for detailed work in various media.
• Scratchbord Absorbent clay-coated panel for scratchboard art technique where artists scratch through black ink to reveal white clay underneath.
• Unprimed Basswood Professional-grade natural unprimed wood panel with 4mm basswood surface; stronger and smoother than typical plywood, available in larger sizes for artists who prefer to seal and prime their own.
• Woodpanel Value-priced studio birch panel designed for practice studies, classrooms, craft projects, and DIY; smooth birch surface with precision-cut cradles, suitable for fluid art, acrylics, collage, photo transfer, and wood burning.
• Floaterframe Premium hardwood floater frame designed specifically for Ampersand wood panels; wider base and deeper rabbet to protect panels during display. Available in Black, Maple, Walnut, and White finishes in Bold and Thin styles with 7/8" and 1.5" profiles.
• Duoframe Versatile solid wood frame allowing the same frame to accommodate different sizes of artwork, usable for traditional window mount or float mount display; available in White and Black in sizes 5x7 through 12x12.
• Scratchbord Knife Specialized carving knife for scratchboard art technique on Scratchbord panels.
• Scratchbord Line Tool Fine line tool for creating detailed scratches in scratchboard artwork.
• Scratchbord Wire Brush Wire brush tool for removing ink and creating texture in scratchboard art.
• Scratchbord Fiber Brush Fiber brush for applying and smoothing ink on Scratchbord panels.
• Scratchbord/Claybord Inks Specialized black inks designed for use on Scratchbord and Claybord panels, producing bold lasting art that can be scratched and refined.
• Scratchbord Tool Kit Complete kit containing essential tools for scratchboard art creation.
• Scratchbord Steel Wool Steel wool for finishing and texturing scratchboard artwork.
• Creating with Scratchbord with Sally Maxwell How-to DVD Instructional DVD by Sally Maxwell teaching scratchboard art techniques.
• Scratchbord Zoo Animal Book Instructional book featuring zoo animal designs for scratchboard projects.
• Custom Panel Manufacturing Service Made-to-order custom panel manufacturing for sizes up to 48x90 inches with various thickness and cradle depth options; $50 minimum order with approximately 4-8 week turnaround. Online pricing calculator available.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• R&F Handmade PaintscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Co-developed Encausticbord with R&F Handmade Paints in 2010. The partnership combined R&F's expertise in encaustic materials with Ampersand's panel manufacturing to create a specialized surface for encaustic painting. Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, a Core Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints, features the product in her international encaustic workshops.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Canson: Canson manufactures artist papers, boards, and surfaces including the Infinity and XL ranges for watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media. It is a direct competitor in artist panels and surfaces across multiple media.
• Artefex: Artefex manufactures specialty artist panels and surfaces, including traditional and alternative grounds. It is a direct competitor in archival artist panels and surfaces.
• Strathmore Artist Papers: Strathmore produces artist papers, pads, and boards (including watercolor and pastel boards) for students and professionals. It competes with Ampersand in the archival surface category across overlapping media.
• Trekell Artist Panels: Trekell produces artist wood panels and supplies for fine artists, including cradle panels and specialty surfaces. It is a direct competitor in the artist panel category.
• Claussens (Canvas Company): Claussens is a custom canvas and panel manufacturer for artists, including stretched canvases and primed panels. It directly competes in artist panels and custom panel manufacturing.
• Golden Artist Colors: Golden makes professional artist paints and grounds (including acrylic gesso and painted panels). It overlaps with Ampersand at the intersection of professional fine art materials and surface preparation.
• R&F Handmade Paints: R&F Handmade Paints is a manufacturer of encaustic paints and Ampersand's co-development partner for Encausticbord. The companies serve the same encaustic artist customers with complementary products.
• Da Vinci Artist Canvas: Da Vinci manufactures artist panels and boards alongside its paint line. It competes with Ampersand in the panels category and shares the pro-artist specialty retail channel.
• Fredrix: Fredrix is a long-established manufacturer of artist canvas, canvas boards, and panels. It directly competes with Ampersand's Gessobord, Primed Canvas Texture, and Primed Smooth offerings in the panel and surface category.

Broad incumbents

• Winsor & Newton: Winsor & Newton is a broad incumbent art materials manufacturer offering paints, papers, canvases, and boards. It competes with Ampersand across multiple fine art media categories as part of a wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ampersandvideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/ampersandfans
• Instagraminstagram.com/ampersand_art
• Pinterestpinterest.com/ampersandart/_created
• TikToktiktok.com/@ampersand_art
• Xx.com/Ampersand_Art
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ampersand-art-supply

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ampersand Art Supply