In 1988, Richard Frumess, founder of R&F, started the business in the basement studio he rented in Brooklyn, NY. His interest in 
encaustic painting as an artist, and the lack of a significant source for quality encaustic supplies, led him on a path that eventually developed into what is now R&F Handmade Paints.
For R&F’s first 2 years, Richard focused on being an encaustic paint manufacturer. In 1990 artist and Williamsburg Paint manufacturer Carl Plansky, a close friend of Richard’s, suggested R&F start making an oil stick. Carl felt that the natural synergy between wax/resin materials used in encaustic and the wax/oil materials needed for the oil sticks seemed like the natural step to take.
In 1990, R&F Pigment Sticks® were born.
R&F Handmade Paints takes pride in manufacturing these 2 distinctive yet similarly milled products. Artists’ interest in both Encaustic Paint and Pigment Sticks® has grown steadily over the years….30 to be exact. Under the leadership of Darin Seim, R&F’s President and a truly dedicated staff, R&F is confident that the trend will continue for many years to come.
