Ampersand Art Supply
VerifiedWoman-owned manufacturer of premium rigid artist panels, handcrafting Gessobord, Claybord, Scratchbord, and Aquabord surfaces from US-grown FSC-certified Aspen wood at a 55,000 sq ft facility in Buda, Texas. Founded by Elaine Salazar and classmates at UT Austin in 1993, Ampersand pioneered the rigid painting panel market and is now the world's leading producer of fine-art wood surfaces, exporting to artists across the UK, Germany, Australia, and Mexico.
Products by Ampersand Art Supply
4 products listed
$14-$20Museum Series Aquabord 8"×10" Flat Panel
Watercolor painting panel with a highly absorbent, acid-free clay surface on rigid Hardbord, handcrafted in Buda, Texas. Watercolor flows and blooms like cold-press paper but the panel stays perfectly flat with no warping or buckling under heavy washes. Colors stay wet and workable longer than paper, and dried paint can be lifted and reworked days later with a damp brush.
$18-$24Museum Series Scratchbord 11"×14" Flat Panel
Professional-grade scratchboard panel with a smooth, black-inked kaolin clay surface on rigid Hardbord, handcrafted in Buda, Texas. Unlike paper scratchboards, the 1/8" rigid substrate never warps, buckles, or tears. Scratch crisp, clean lines to reveal bright white clay below — ideal for detailed illustration, wildlife art, and realism. Overly scratched areas can be repaired with black India ink.
$12-$18Museum Series Claybord 8"×10" Flat Panel
Kaolin clay-coated hardboard panel for ink, pencil, acrylic, airbrush, and mixed media, handcrafted in Buda, Texas. The velvety-smooth, highly absorbent clay surface holds fine line detail brilliantly and accepts water-soluble and solvent-based media alike. Completely sealed when finished with varnish — retouch and refine layers without disturbing earlier work.
$12-$18Museum Series Gessobord 9"×12" Flat Panel
Premium gesso-primed hardboard painting panel, handcrafted in Buda, Texas from US-grown FSC-certified Aspen. The factory-applied acrylic gesso creates an ultra-smooth, archival ground ideal for oil, acrylic, encaustic, and mixed media. The rigid Hardbord substrate stays perfectly flat under heavy paint loads — no warping, buckling, or canvas flex.