Blick Art Materials

Can you smell it? That faint aroma of turpentine and linseed oil? That, my friends, is the scent of creativity, wafting out of Blick Art Materials. Here on North Kingsbury Street, Blick Art Materials isn’t just a store, it’s a haven for artists, a testament to over a century of inspiring creation. Blick Art Materials began humbly in 1911. Dick and Grace Blick, operating from their kitchen in Galesburg, Illinois, launched their mail-order business with a single product: the Payzant pen. Now, Blick Art Materials stands as a behemoth in the art supply world, boasting over 90,000 products. Blick Art Materials isn’t merely a retailer. They’re a manufacturer too, producing 8,000 items under their own brand, from vibrant paints and brushes to sturdy canvases and artist papers. And let’s not forget their Utrecht brand, known for its handcrafted paints, mediums, and brushes, acquired by Blick Art Materials in 2013. Today, the legacy continues under the leadership of Robert Buchsbaum, grandson of Robert Metzenberg, who bought the company in 1947. Buchsbaum, CEO since 1996, even received the 2016 Leadership Award from the Business Committee for the Arts, a division of Americans for the Arts. Blick Art Materials, a family-owned business, has expanded far beyond that kitchen table. It has blossomed into one of the largest art suppliers in the United States, nurturing creativity in artists of all levels. As you step into Blick Art Materials, remember Dick and Grace Blick’s humble beginnings. Imagine them meticulously packaging Payzant pens, their kitchen filled with the same scent of possibility that fills this space today. Let their story inspire your own creative journey, here at the heart of artistic expression, Blick Art Materials.