The Shipping Question…….
Shipping comes up time and time again. How do you ship an encaustic piece? There is a fragility to what it is that we make. So for good reason we should be concerned. The work can be vulnerable to cracking, chipping, or flaking. Heat and cold play a role. I’m sure we all have a horror story or two about receiving our work back to us after a show or exhibition in which the piece was not properly packaged or shipped.
Today I’m turning the tables and I’d like to hear from you. So I ask the Question.
How do you pack and ship your work?
I’ll be honest. I recently built a crate, insulated it, and shipped a piece across country. I’ll never do that again. Although, it arrived safely without any damage….it was incredibly time consuming and since I’m a firm believer in outsourcing….that is what my future now holds. From now on I’ll be paying for a professional to pack and ship all my work.
Three are some key points you should keep in mind.
- Pack so that nothing touches the surface of the painting (especially bubble wrap).
- Insulate for hot and cold temperature
- Protect against shock in case the box/crate is dropped or jarred.
Below I’m showing you how Nash Frame in Minneapolis packs and ships my work.
Please share your packing and shipping tips, lessons learned, successes and failures regarding the shipping process.
Be well….be creative,
Just to let you know I had a send a piece (24×30) to Atlanta from Cleveland for a juried show. Was not in the mood to frame it. Used silicone release paper that I had for dry mounting. Covered the wax area with it and put the whole thing in a poly bag then bubble around it in a box. Worked fine both ways. The release paper does not stick to wax so eliminated that part of the problem. Not for everything but thought you would like to know since this comes up all the time.
I have wrapped several layers of wax paper around the piece and then bubble wrap it and put it a sturdy box. This has worked for shipping as long it’s not exposed to hot temps.
Both suggestions sound good and thanks for the pics. Textured works would require a professional packaging company to do the job, I would think. Sure adds to the freight cost.
It does indeed add to the freight cost. But I’m a firm believer in honoring your work and treating it with respect once it’s finished. I look at it as a cost of doing business.