R&F Handmade Paints

What R&F Handmade Paints does

R&F Handmade Paints is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of handmade artist paints headquartered at 84 Ten Broeck Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401. The company produces three core proprietary product lines: Pigment Sticks® (oil paint in stick form allowing direct application without brushes), Drawing Oils™ (water-soluble oil sticks that behave like compressed oil paint but clean up with water), and Encaustic (hot wax painting materials, tools, and grounds). Each line is supported by curated sets, color charts, and safety documentation, and the company holds registered trademarks on Pigment Sticks®, Drawing Oils™, and Unique Color.

The underlying technology is materials science-based rather than software-based: handcrafted formulations combining oils, waxes, and pigments with specific working properties (stick consistency, water solubility, archival quality). The company is explicitly a traditional goods manufacturer with no software platform, app, or API. Sales occur through a dual-channel model consisting of direct-to-consumer e-commerce via rfpaints.com and wholesale distribution to independent art supply retailers through a dedicated "For Retailers" portal and Store Finder tool.

The business model is one-time product sales of physical art supplies, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are horizontal: professional and fine artists (primary) and art educators/teachers (secondary), reached through multiple channels including DTC website, retail partners, in-store demos, a Teacher Training program, an R&F Instructor network, and content marketing via articles and a mailing list. No revenue, headcount, funding, or ownership details are disclosed in the available data.

Name

R&F Handmade Paints

Legal name

R&F Handmade Paints

Website

https://rfpaints.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

R&F Handmade Paints is a privately held Kingston, NY manufacturer of handmade artist paints, producing Pigment Sticks®, Drawing Oils™, and encaustic materials. It serves professional artists and art educators through direct e-commerce and a wholesale network of independent art supply retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Paints

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD)

Keywords

• Handmade artist paints
• Oil paint sticks
• Encaustic wax paints
• Water-soluble drawing oils
• Professional art supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Art Supplies Sales: R&F Handmade Paints generates revenue through the direct sale of their proprietary handmade paint products including Pigment Sticks, Drawing Oils, and Encaustic materials to artists, art educators, and retail outlets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

R&F Handmade Paints handcrafts artist-grade paints in small batches at its Kingston, New York facility. The company's product portfolio centers on Pigment Sticks® (oil paint sticks), Drawing Oils™ (water-soluble drawing sticks), and encaustic (hot wax) paints, mediums, and tools. Finished products are sold directly to artists and educators through the company's e-commerce site and indirectly through authorized retail resellers via a wholesale portal.

Product overview

R&F Handmade Paints is an artist paint manufacturer offering handcrafted painting products. The portfolio includes three core product lines: Pigment Stick® (oil paint in stick form for direct application), Drawing Oils™ (oil-based drawing medium), and Encaustic (wax-based paints). Each product line offers corresponding color lines, sets/kits, and safety documentation. The company operates as a traditional goods manufacturer rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pigment Sticks®

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Old Holland: Premium handmade oil paint manufacturer catering to fine artists, sharing R&F's handmade, archival-grade positioning in the professional segment.
• Gamblin Artists Colors: Handmade artist oil paints and mediums made in small batches for fine artists — directly comparable to R&F's handmade, professional-grade positioning.
• Golden Artist Colors: Manufacturer of professional artist paints and mediums (including specialty products like QoR watercolor and Encaustic mediums) with deep overlap with R&F's handmade, fine-art focus.
• Daniel Smith: Specialty artist paint manufacturer offering handmade watercolors, oils, and encaustic products — directly comparable across R&F's principal categories.
• Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors: Premium handmade oil paints targeted at professional fine artists, with a similar handmade / archival-grade value proposition as R&F's Pigment Sticks and Drawing Oils.
• Sennelier: French artist paint maker with strong specialty lines (oil sticks, encaustic, watercolor) — directly overlaps with R&F's Pigment Sticks and Encaustic product formats.

Broad incumbents

• Blick Art Materials (Dick Blick): Largest US art supply retailer offering its own Blick studio-grade paint lines alongside third-party brands — a channel competitor and adjacent product peer to R&F.
• Schmincke: Established German artist paint manufacturer with broad product lines (oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel) — a larger incumbent with overlapping fine-art customer base.
• Winsor & Newton: One of the largest and most established artist paint brands globally, serving the same fine-art customer base as R&F but with a much broader portfolio and distribution.
• Rooibos / Jack Richeson & Co. Diversified art supplies manufacturer and distributor producing artist paints, brushes, and canvases — a broader incumbent that competes across R&F's categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rfpaints
• Facebookfacebook.com/RFPaints

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 R&F Handmade Paints