It began in 1992. No funding. No business plan. Just myself, a painter with a fascination—bordering on obsession—for how colour was made and why the old ways mattered. I wasn’t interested in trends. I was drawn to the lineage: those European master paintmakers who understood that turning earth into colour was both science and sorcery.
At that time, the kind of paint I needed simply didn’t exist in Australia. So I started making it.

With a studio background and a working knowledge of chemistry, I set up a small workspace in Melbourne. I began grinding pigments by hand, marrying them with carefully chosen oils, and refining each formulation to achieve purity, permanence, and full chromatic intensity. No extenders. No fillers. Just paint made to the highest standards I could hold myself to.

From the outset, it wasn’t about volume—it was about fidelity. To the pigment. To the material. To the artist.
What started as a one-person operation slowly grew. Word of mouth carried the name Langridge to other painters looking for uncompromising quality. Over time, we expanded—adding varnishes, mediums, dry pigments—each made with the same attention to detail and belief that materials should serve the artist’s intent, not the convenience of production.

Langridge has always existed to give artists agency. To provide tools that invite exploration, experimentation, and a deeper connection to process. And we’ve always sought to do so responsibly—minimising toxicity, questioning convention, and developing smarter ways of working without sacrificing performance.
Eventually, what we were doing resonated beyond Australia. Our colours found their way into studios in New York, Berlin, London. Not because of marketing campaigns or distribution muscle, but because the work spoke for itself. You could feel it under the brush.

In 2024, we launched Australia’s first professional-grade fluid acrylics. The same dedication to pigment load, intensity, and feel—just in a different medium. Designed for artists who expect more.

Langridge remains committed to that original impulse: to make paint the right way. In small batches. With real materials. With a deep respect for tradition and an even deeper belief in the artist’s role in shaping culture.
Because in the end, great colour isn’t just manufactured. It’s made with knowledge. With craft. And with a certain madness that never quite lets go.