A paint company for artists, made by artists. This is the tagline of 30A Artist Justin Gaffrey’s new business, appropriately named Gaffrey Art Material.
Justin Gaffrey is a self-taught artist, and well known in the 30A community. His portfolio depicts vibrant seascapes and coastal landscapes, creative moonscapes, unique still life, bright florals, acrylic sculptures, and more. Each piece is expressive and relaxed, though that doesn’t minimize the concentrated study and practice that he has put into refining his art. Gaffrey’s work continually evolves as he pushes artist boundaries. With this evolution, he has explored, discovered, and even manufactured the materials that work for him in the creative process. Gaffrey Art Material strives to provide other artists, both aspiring and acclaimed, with quality products that will result in quality artwork. The products also encourage artists to find their own flow and techniques to inspire work that has meaning to both the artist and the audience.
This new business endeavor did not happen overnight. According to the website, Gaffrey handcrafts his paint and art materials from scratch anyway. Now, his one time paint studio “has transformed into a fully operational paint manufacturing facility.” The intent is to “shake things up” in the painting world, offering both small-batch acrylic paints and other art materials. Using feedback from consumers, the manufacturing company anticipates continually growing and evolving to meet the needs of artists, just as Gaffrey’s artwork continues to evolve over the years to meet his artistic aspirations.
Currently, Gaffrey Art Material offers a variety of art supplies. The heavy texture acrylics are the company’s signature product. These acrylic paints have a super thick viscosity and high pigment concentration. They come in multiple colors, including Titanium White, Light Phthalo Blue, Pyrrole Red, Light Hansa Yellow, Light Phthalo Green, and Clear. The paints were designed with palette knife users and impasto painters in mind. Acrylic emulsions are also offered, which are typically used as an acrylic varnish additive. The variety of emulsion colors are medium viscosity with high pigment concentration.
Other products include paint kits, palette knives, brushes, wood panels, piping bags, and gesso. Gaffrey demonstrates palette knife techniques on his YouTube channel, to share his knowledge with other artists who may be starting out on their palette knife artistic journey. Of course, as an artistic explorer, he also encourages artists to find the techniques that speak to them personally. The available paintbrushes are high-end and affordable, with long handles and synthetic nylon bristles. Wood panels, rather than canvas, offer a sturdy setting in which to practice your hand at heavy textured paint techniques. It doesn’t sag, and the smooth surface results in fluid strokes. All of these supplies will encourage your own individual imaginative process.
Whether you’re just starting to explore your creative side or you’ve been in the game for years, Gaffrey Art Material products can aid you in your explorations. You can subscribe to the website to get tips and tricks from the celebrated artist himself, as well as subscribe to the YouTube page for demonstrations and painting guidance. Frequently asked questions are also provided on the website.
In the meantime, be sure to check out Gaffrey’s artwork for inspiration!
