Since the beginning of the pandemic, and even before, I have relied on online shopping for a lot of my art supplies. There are many very good and affordable online shops that carry a variety of supplies. In addition to being able to compare prices, you can also take time to read up or even watch videos on how to use the products. I suffer from serious loss of control whenever I enter an art supply store, so this relaxed atmosphere is a lot better for me. I can take time to analyse my purchases and not (often) get suckered into buying something I don’t really need.
Normally, I would make a list of things I needed (wanted?) during the year, and then when we went down to Florida for the winter, I would put in a couple of orders at my two favorite art stores, Jerry’s Artarama (I know!!) and Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff. They would usually have a few really good sales while I was down there, so I could stock up and take supplies home well within my “import” limit. Well, we won’t be going to Florida this winter, unless the promise of vaccines turns out to be much better than expected. So I have been looking at alternate sources for the supplies I want (need?), because the international shipping costs for my two favorite US stores are outrageous! There are a few good Canadian online stores. Curry’s Artists' Materials comes to mind, but they seem to be suffering from serious supply problems. De Serres is really bad too, having many many products out of stock. Also, they often don't even carry the brands or products I am looking for. So two of the suppliers I have been trying out are English. One, Rosemary Brushes, manufactures their own lines of paintbrushes. I bought a few this summer, and they are amazing quality for the listed price, but once you pay for the shipping and the taxes that Canada Revenue collects, the price almost doubles! Another supplier, Jackson’s Art Supplies, carries a very wide variety of products, including many under their own house brand, which are generally really good value. The biggest problem with both of these suppliers is the time it takes to get the products!! My latest order, which includes single pastel sticks from a wide variety of manufacturers, as well as some sample papers for use with soft pastels, was placed October 20th, and there is still no sign of it! I even paid extra to get tracking, only to watch the tracking data stay the same since October 27, when the package had a bit of a holiday in Malmö, Sweden!!! A couple of days ago, the tracking page had sprouted a new button, hopefully labeled “Local Tracking”. “Woohoo!” I thought… but it only means that Canada Post is now officially in charge of having no idea where my package is … I guess the pandemic has reduced the number of available international flights. But surely packages don’t need the same care as passengers, and indeed there must be a lot more packages traveling as so many people can’t! You would think the airlines would be jumping on the opportunity to use their planes, but apparently not! So, in addition to learning to paint in oils and pastels, this pandemic has also taught me more patience! And planning! But be warned: if you are thinking of using postal or other carriers for your Christmas gifts this year, you had better plan for it early if you hope to get it there on time!
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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