Step inside Vasari Showroom in Easton and discover a massive variety of rich, buttery oil paint colors, a library of books filled with inspiration from past exhibits, and demonstrations of their handcrafted process.
Stephen Salek
Founder and Paintmaker
Tell us about the decision to move your paint-making atelier and open a Vasari showroom in Easton. Describe the journey that led you there!
Since 1995, we have helped artists personally select their colors at our New York City showroom and now here in historic Easton. We wanted a larger space that would accommodate both our paint-making atelier and a showroom within a community that celebrated both history and traditional artisans.
What can locals expect in a visit to the showroom?
Vasari Classic Artists' Oil Colors welcomes you to our spacious new quarters in Easton's Simon Silk Mill. This amazing space, at street level, faces the access bridge to the Karl Stirner Arts Trail and Bushkill Creek, with free parking right at our front door.
Tell us about the demonstrations that visitors can witness in the store.
The very people who make the paint will demonstrate pigments for your palette and our handcrafted process of making the colors, filling the tubes and labeling each one, one at a time, will be on view.
Describe the variety of paints that can be purchased on site!
All of our 140-plus colors are available on site, individually in both small and large size tubes or in curated selections as sets of artists' palettes or artistic movements in history. Intensely pigmented, our paint is ideal for mixing, enabling painters to create and discover their own special colors.
Tell us the significance of working exclusively with oil colors.
Oil colors are one of the only artists' colors that can be handcrafted without any additives that would dull or weaken their beauty. All pigments, from historic earths to the latest innovations in modern color chemistry, can be made into oil paint and are available from us.
Is the showroom welcoming to artists of all skill levels?
Yes, seeing color in its purest form, as rich, buttery paint that's easy to brush right from the tube, is a treat for anyone. Our library of books and exhibition catalogs collected over the past 30 years is a welcome inspiration for visitors to our Easton showroom and the display of antique art materials is a visual delight.
What's the overall vibe of the showroom like?
Color everywhere you look, from the painted display boxes lining the walls, hundreds of tubes to try out on our palette table, to the plein air paintings on the wall of the Karl Stirner Arts Trail. It's spacious with lots of seating to take in all the color and light with nature peeking in through the windows!
Is there anything else you'd like to note?
We can accommodate class visits with advance notice. Call or visit our website for further descriptions and our sale items!
1235 Simon Blvd. Silk Mill Unit 102, Easton | 800.932.9375 | vasaricolors.com
Published as “Get the Goods” in the March 2023 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
