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Gamblin Artists Colors is an American colorhouse that creates fine oil colors and mediums for painters and printmakers. Gamblin was founded in 1980 by Robert Gamblin and is based in Portland, Oregon. Gamblin is known for being environmentally sustainable and for providing artists with materials that are true to historic working properties, yet safer and more permanent. Gamblin Conservation Colors have been used to restore works by thousands of old masters and contemporary masters. Gamblin’s colors are also used by artists such as Bo Bartlett, Chuck Close, Jacob Collins, Jim Dine, David Hockney, Wolf Kahn,  Emily Mason, Ed Paschke and Wayne Thiebaud. Ultimate Northwest Magazine wrote: “The crew at Gamblin Artists Colors makes some of the most vivid, sensuous oil paints in the world.”

History of Gamblin Artists Colors
American landscape painter Robert Gamblin, who studied at the University of Oregon and San Francisco Art Institute, founded Gamblin Artists Colors in 1980 in the Ladd’s Edition neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Part of his mission was to make studio painting safer and oil painting materials more permanent. “Robert Gamblin began with the specific goal of creating vividly colored oil paints without the use of toxic metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic, and eliminating the need for strong solvents in the practice of oil painting.”  He began with a three-roll mill and a Hobart mixer, and handmade tube filler, and made only whites for the first year.

In 2000, Robert Gamblin introduced Gamblin Conservation Colors, a line of paints for retouching paintings, objects, sculpture, and photographs. These colors were developed in collaboration with the head of the science department at Conservators from the National Gallery and the head of conservation at Getty Museum.

Gamblin Artists Colors now operates a production facility and office located on SE Division Place in Portland. The company produces all of its oil colors as well as its painting mediums and printmaking inks there. Many of its 20 staff members are working artists, and the company operates with the slogan “Dedicated to oil painters.”  Gamblin Artists Colors follows Robert Gamblin’s belief in safe painting practices; “We also try to run our company as sustainably as possible” (Gamblin President Pete Cole). The company has been recognized for its leadership on sustainability and for being one of Oregon’s Best Small Manufacturers.

Torrit Grey
Every year Gamblin uses pigments collected by the factory’s Torrit™ air filtration system to create a unique color called “Torrit Grey.” Every year the mix of pigments is different, and tubes of the paint are given to artists for free.

Gamblin Artists Colors also created the Torrit Grey Painting Competition, where artists create paintings using the year’s Torrit Grey and Gamblin features submissions online.

The Design Management Institute featured Torrit Grey in an article on sustainable business practice. The Torrit Grey competition has also been featured in northwest publications and American Artist Magazine.

Navigating Color Space
Gamblin Artists Colors offers video instruction of Robert Gamblin’s palette management and color-mixing model through the “Navigating Color Space” video. Navigating Color Space bridges the gap between color theory and color mixing by bringing important aspects of color theory and putting it to work right on painters palettes.

Conservation Colors
In 2000, Robert Gamblin introduced Gamblin Conservation Colors, a specific line of paints that are used in the restoration of paintings, objects, ceramics, sculpture and photographs by conservators and restorers all over the world. The Conservation Colors are a result of Robert Gamblin’s collaboration with Rene de la Rie of the National Gallery of Art, Mark Leonard of the J. Paul Getty Museum, and Jill Whitten of Whitten Proctor Conservation. Their 5-year research project began in 1994. At the IIC Congress in Melbourne in 2000 the scientific papers on the project were delivered and the colors were then made available.

Gamblin Conservation Colors were used for the restoration of Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom,” on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. They were also featured in the Wall Street Journal alongside Dallas Museum of Art conservator Mark Leonard. Gamblin Conservation Colors have been used to restore many priceless works of art, but confidentiality prevents their being mentioned by name.

Studio Safety
Since its founding in 1980, Gamblin Artists Colors focused on studio safety and sustainability. Part of Robert Gamblin’s “mission is making studio painting safer" so the company does not make painting mediums that require turpentine or colors with lead.

Gamblin mediums use Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits instead of turpentine. Gamblin Artists Colors was the first company to create Flake White Replacement, a color with the working properties of Flake White, but free of lead. The Gamblin Website has a Studio Safety section of artist resources that provides information for choosing products, solvent alternatives and recycling and reusing solvents.

Gamblin in the Media
Gamblin Artists Colors has been featured for its Conservation Colors, sustainability, Torrit Grey, and Artists Oil Colors and Robert Gamblin has been interviewed as an expert on color. Gamblin has been featured on the New York Times Magazine blog, Van Gogh Museum blog , Oregon Public Broadcasting , as well as in InStyle Magazine, The Wall Street Journal , The Portland Tribune , The Fine Arts Magazine , American Artist Magazine , and Ultimate Northwest Magazine.