In 1996, I started KAMA PIGMENTS in my apartment (a half-basement) with modest means and an ambitious mission: to make available the raw materials (particularly dry pigments) and the knowledge necessary for artists to make their own paints and mediums.

Over the years, and with the support of our customers and employees, KAMA has grown and added more and more products to the original line of raw materials. By forging new relationships with suppliers from all around the world, we’ve arrived at our current catalogue of over 2000 unique products.

Our selection of raw materials includes resins, natural glues and gums, drying oils, dry pigments, dyes, gold leaf, waxes, and more. We are also proud to be able to provide you with all of the information necessary to get started on your own, completely free of charge.

Aside from being able to save on the cost of materials, we believe that making your own paints and mediums is and art in and of itself and that it is the best way to truly learn and to master your medium. Like the artists that came before you, making your own paints will help you to develop a profound understanding of what your materials can accomplish and what they can become. In this way, you can really know what you are working with as well as how your paint will behave while you are painting and how it will behave long after your work is completed.

In my opinion, knowing the properties of the materials you use is especially critical because it allows you to work without being limited to the products offered to you by the art materials industry. This knowledge frees you from the limits that might otherwise be placed on your creativity and instead grants you the freedom to paint in a way that makes sense for you, because, after all, it really is as simple as this: pigment + binder = paint. And finally, of course, making your own art supplies from raw materials is a great way to save a lot of money. All of this is why I’ve been making my own paints and mediums for the last 20 years.