In the mid-1980s Carl Plansky began making paint for himself and his friends in the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York. Williamsburg's oil paints accumulated a following and international presence while preserving the handmade integrity of the paint.

Each colour is ground to enhance the beauty and luminosity specific to that particular pigment. Some colours will feel slightly gritty, others extremely smooth. The Cerulean Blue has a beautiful velvet, light-absorbing surface with an extremely strong covering power; the Siennas will often be chunky or gritty to allow light to travel through the vehicle, exposing rich golden or mahogany undertones instead of just heavy, dull browns.

The pigments are ground in pure, premium, alkali-refined and PH- balanced linseed oil and made in batches no larger than five gallons at a time. This gives total control over the product, much like the late nineteenth-century French colour makers. All the materials are hand measured, and every ounce of paint is scrutinised. The paint is packed in 37ml and 150ml non-reactive aluminium tubes.