Post 411: Have Art, How Do You Travel?

Have Art, How Do You Travel? 

I go to as many art shows in the area as I can and the question is always how am I protecting my art to get there? I have watched other artists to see what I can learn from them and perhaps find a great idea to help getting my art from point A to show B, then home again (if it doesn't sell). Hopefully on wheels. Definitely safely and without any damage to my priceless (to me) artwork.

Taking in the Sights

The longer I go to various art shows, the more I see. Occasionally my eyebrows go up in wonder. Even better is when I can go, "gee, why didn't I think of that?!"

 

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash 

I've seen artwork that looks like its fresh off the easel, in pristine condition although it was painted years earlier and I have seen artwork that looks like its been through hell and back. Or maybe they just threw it in the back of car and raced home on two wheels. Not sure. And the price tag was still more than I would have thought after such abuse!

I've seen dusty framed artwork with dirty nicked-up frames and fingerprints or YUK, who knows what on the glass / plexiglass.

I've seen canvases with scraped up edges, frayed corners, etc. and it made me wonder if it was dragged across the floor somewhere? (My eyebrows are getting a workout.)

I've seen people come to an art show with their artwork in a cardboard box, nothing separating the canvases, just shoved in - no front to front, just shoved in. No blanket, no cushion. Just raw canvas or framed artwork faces rubbing noses against each other. Yikes!... 

    I don't know about you but in the heat, canvases can get tacky so some protection between paintings is a must in my book.

I have seen people just stack up the artwork and carry it away, and I've visibly cringed. Maybe that was the car that went out of the lot on two wheels...

    And stacking artwork with the wire and hardware on top of the front of another painting face can leave dents. Ouch!...

I've seen great artwork look really bad because of how badly the work was stored. I've even seen moldy matting, can you believe that? (My eyebrows fell off that time.) Some of that could be from how it is stored, and you can read more on that here. Storing Your Artwork

 

Photo by Beth Macdonald on Unsplash 

I am surprised occasionally when I see how, shall I say, nonchalantly some artists treat their art. And then I've been impressed when I see artwork delivered to a show or gallery with the artist having to "unwrap" the packaging, which could include a box, plastic (shrinkwrap), bubblewrap, cardboard corner protectors and the like. Kudos to these guys! - These folks are rocking the 'fine art protection rules', give these folks an awesome big gold star in my book! (Insert applause here.)

Transporting Ideas

In my mind, if an artist went to all the time and effort to do a painting, to take a photo, to make a sketch, wouldn't you think they would also take the steps to preserve their work? That would include not only in how it is stored, but how it is transported AND put out for display. They all affect each other. By the way, Display is here.

Artwork must be protected from dings, scratches, scrapes, and dents. Protection also means sunlight, temperature, and humidity. All of that can and will happen if you don't take the steps needed to prevent damage, warping and more, as best you can, especially if you want to get the amount you are asking for on that label.

We all are looking for ways to safely and easily transport our art. Here are some tips and ideas to get you going.

• Buy Archival Acid Free Clear Bags in various sizes. Not only are they great for storing, but they work well for transporting. You can find various options in sizes even for gallery wrapped canvases up to certain sizes. These work great for standing your art up vertically face to face to prevent the wiring and hardware from denting the paintings.
  
• Inexpensive fleece blankets are an option you can find in a lot of stores like Walmart, CVS and they like make decent cushioning.
  
• Remember if using bubblewrap - put the bubbles facing OUT. Bubbles facing in can make an imprint on your painting surface, and realize that the plastic is not acid-free for long term storage, so keep that in mind.
  
• Rolling suit cases - wrap those small artworks and see how many you can fit!
  
• Wagons, utility carts - find the size you need for what you have to roll around.
  
• Recycle types of shopping bags, even IKEA big bags.
  
• One of our former PWAS members used for his artworks that were photographs on wooden canvas blocks, he reused Amazon bubble envelops. Much of his artwork would fit in those and it was a great idea in recycling.
  
• Large sheets of felt sewed into various sized "pillow cases". All you need is to sew up potentially 2-3 of the sides and leave the fourth side open. I purchased inexpensive felt sheets from Walmart a few years ago and these make great covers. Cut the felt into the sizes you need and let your Singer at it. You could write FRONT and BACK on the felt and insert the artwork that way. If 2 are in the bag, put cardboard between them. Then when traveling with your artwork, put the fronts together so that the frame and wiring are on the outside. Note: cardboard is not acid-free either.)
  
• At your local fabric store, price a few yards of thick flannel and cut out the sizes you need and use a hot glue gun to make "sacks" out of them.
• If you have old quilts, you can make them into packing sleeves and sew on canvas straps. Break out those sewing machines folks. Wait! Someone could sell these things to artists. Nice idea for a side business. (Remind me to erase this paragraph before I publish this.)
  
• I have saved the boxes when I order frames and store paintings in those and use a large sheet of archival paper to protect the front from the cardboard.
  
• Towels, blankets, actual pillow cases - give some cushion and protection. Make sleeves out of those towels and blankets too!
  

Some of these ideas take a little more time when you are setting up to go to a show and set up your display. At the end of the show, maybe a few more minutes are added when you are breaking down the art and reloading to go home. Sure its been a long day, but at least your artwork may be better protected when wrapped up as you peel out of the parking lot. We'll talk about the car on 2 wheels escape debate at another time...

I know there are artists out there with brilliant ideas on protecting their artwork while traveling it about. I realize folks need to do what they can afford to do. And we know artists are a creative bunch, so let's see what kind of ideas you have too. C'mon, tell me something good, what ideas do you have?

This post was first published on the PWAS Artistry Spin blog on October 11, 2023.

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Author: Donna Liguria  is the Blogmaster for Donna's Cave Paintings and the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, VA. Donna specializes in acrylic paintings of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.

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Do you need a handmade, original painting for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member? Yes, I do most commissions, so please contact me through this blog, on Facebook, My Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com, or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com to shop my available Artwork.