Up on the Easel

Art Advice, Local Art Community & Inspiration

Gwartzman's is happy to provide insight to any questions you might have regarding art materials-- what's the difference between brush tip shapes? What does all the labelling on the back of a paint tube or jar mean? Find these answers and more below!

The art community can be a fantastic place to gain inspiration! Check out local artists that you may be familiar with, and some new art and new faces. Look inside studios big and small, and learn about some of our own favourite big names in the art world.

Different Artist Tools

As an art store, we know (and have seen) many different tools used by artists to create effects, textures, and a little something special to artwork. We've created a list of some of the interesting and unique artist tools we carry, but we know there are so many more.Catalyst Silicone Blades and W...

Art Project: Clay Ornaments

The holiday season is here! What better way to get in the holiday spirit than to create some beautiful ornaments! The great thing about ornaments is that they can be virtually any size or shape that you can decorate and design with any colours and/or patterns for anywhere in your home (not just o...

Art Project: Gift Wrap

Taking your wrapped gift or present to the next level is easy - just customize the wrapping paper! We've chosen Winsor & Newton Promarkers since they're easy to use, blend able and very vibrant, along with some Winsor & Newton Drawing Ink in gold to add a bit of sparkle! But you can do th...

A Short History of Plein Air

June is Plein Air month here at Gwartzman’s! We spoke with New Wave, the makers of these amazing pochade boxes on June 8th on Instagram Live...

A Short History of Blue Pigments

Blue is one of the primary colours in both traditional colour theory and in the RGB colour system. Blue has always been an important colour in art for thousands of years...

A Short History of Red Pigments

Red is an important colour for humans, and it’s not a colour that many other mammals can see. It’s thought that primates developed the ability to see red because it makes it easier to see ripe fruits amongst green vegetation. Above you can see the mass tone of four of the more unusual reds from...