This Made Me Cross

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I feel irked. Irritated. Frustrated.

Buying art materials doesn’t usually make me feel this way. Buying art materials usually makes me happy. Even euphoric, on some occasions.

Yesterday was not one of those days.

It started well enough. A trip round four stores to buy art materials for my acrylics class next week. I’m lucky to have so many options within 10 miles of my home.

Then came my final purchase: small canvasboards, 4×5 inches at 50p and 5×7 inches at 80p. I don’t usually work on canvasboard but, as it is ready primed and inexpensive, I felt it would be a good option for my students to use for a particular project.

Here’s the label. All the characteristics I want in a canvasboard panel. Note the one highlighted in red.

There weren’t enough pieces available on the shelves, so I asked the assistant for more. It’s a warehouse, so they usually have masses more of everything out back.

“We’re out of stock”, she said. “And I’m afraid the price has gone up on the next batch. They’ll be 95p and £1.10.”

Now I do understand that prices are rising on almost everything. I know that retailers are absorbing some costs and passing on others. That in itself wasn’t what irked me, though an item almost doubling in price overnight certainly wasn’t pleasing.

What made me mad was another change they’d made. Here’s a screenshot from their website. Spot the difference.

So in addition to the price rise, they have changed the base material from MDF to compressed cardboard. I don’t want cardboard, I want MDF. That’s why I’d chosen that particular brand in the first place.

So a massive price rise for an inferior product that won’t match my previous purchase. Triple whammy. Grrrr!

To make things worse, when I checked online later, I couldn’t find any brand that is using MDF. It seems that the product I want is no longer available at all.

So I thought I’d share this cautionary tale with you. Always check the specs of whatever you are buying, as it may have changed since the last time you bought it. Especially in these days when retailers are trying to cut costs.

That could mean finding an alternative brand that is what you want or, as in this case, it could mean having to accept that the product you prefer is no longer available and an alternative must be found.

Either way, I believe it’s important that we know the products that we are using. We’ve deliberately chosen then to suit our work and we can trust their integrity.

I’m going back to using MDF that I cut and prime myself.

Rant over.

Happy painting!

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With prices rising on almost everything, it helps to be conscious of where we can save money and work in a more sustainable way. If you haven’t already seen it, do check out my recent series on how artists can save money and the planet while continuing their art practice.

• Money Saving for Artists

See a round up of 2022 posts here and pre-2022 here.