Gamblin Oil Paint

Where leading artists' paint manufacturers such as Winsor & Newton are owned by multinational conglomerates, Gamblin produces his paint with a staff of local artists in an unmarked Pearl District warehouse. While the big boys buy slick advertisements in national art magazines, Gamblin markets his paint almost exclusively by word of mouth. But the more significant difference between Gamblin Oils and its competitors is the quality of the paint. According to Steven Steinberg, owner of New York Central Art Supply - the country's oldest art supply store, located in the heart of the art world's capitol - Gamblin Oils are "unquestionably, the best oil paint made in America."

The two keys to Gamblin's success are simple. His oils are made as purely as possible with the best pigments available, and he sells in the quantities that artists really use. You can buy a 1.25-ounce tube of Gamblin's paint, but you can also buy a quart and save 50 percent.