It all started in Austin

When a graduate student at The University of Texas McCombs School of Business, Elaine Salazar and Colorado artist and inventor, Charles Ewing and his wife Barbara, began their mission of reviving the time-honored tradition of panel painting with the introduction of Claybord.

A small, woman-owned company artists trust

Charles Ewing had developed Claybord, a unique, clay-coated panel that allowed him to achieve amazing detail and allowed him to use the surface with scratchboard techniques. Driven by Elaine’s love of art and her background in art history, she and three of her classmates created a business plan around Claybord and won a national business contest that allowed them to establish Ampersand Art Supply in 1993 with Charles and Barbara Ewing.

Over 25 years later, Ampersand is the leader in art panels and is still a small, woman-owned company, located in Buda, Texas, less than 20 miles from where it all began.

Ampersand's commitment to quality and archival principles led the company to engineer the only archival sealed panels on the market. Today Ampersand has eleven surfaces that support all media ranging from oils to watercolor and even includes a line of innovative Floaterframes specially designed for panels.

All Museum Series panels are handcrafted in Buda, Texas. Unparalleled quality, innovative coatings, durable construction, and our exclusive Archiva-Seal™ are some of the many reasons artists continue to trust Ampersand for their artwork.

Ampersand History

1993

Ampersand Art Supply established in Austin, TX

1994

Pearl Paint in NYC carries Claybord

1995

Scratchbord launched

1996

Gessobord launched

1997

Aquabord launched

1998

Pastelbord launched

2007

Primed Canvas Texture launched, Expanded into new warehouse and office space in Austin, TX

2010

Encausticbord developed with R&F® Handmade Paints and launched

2012

Unprimed Basswood and Primed Smooth launched

2013

International distribution in Germany, Expanded into new 100,000 sq ft. factory in Buda, TX

2014

20th anniversary gallery celebration, Available in UK

2016

Available in Australia, Floaterframes launched

2018

Available in Denmark

2019

Available in Kuwait, Mexico, and United Arab Emirates

2020

Claybord Art Tiles and Oversized Panels launched

2021

Launched a reimagined website that offers artists and retailers more capabilities and inspirational content

2022

Added 5x7 and Walnut Floaterframes

2023

Launched Duoframe