The right tool for the job

Under the category of "I wish someone had told me this, but no one did, so I'm telling you": When wrapping and/or shipping artwork, use BROWN CELLOPHANE TAPE to secure the bubble wrap around the painting. It holds the bubble wrap firmly in place, but peels off easily so you can reuse the bubble wrap. Masking tape, clear cellophane tape, and certainly duct tape stick so stickily to the bubble wrap that they only rip it up when you try to remove them. This is what professional art movers use.

Professional art movers: a photo essay

Ever wonder how professional art movers pack art? I did, and when my paintings came home from an exhibit in Africa earlier this week, I had a chance to find out. If the paintings had made it around the world in good shape, I figured I could use the same techniques to ship other works across the country.

First the movers had boxed each painting in a heavy cardboard box:




Then a layer of bubble wrap:




Then a wrapping of plastic:




And voila! my painting is unwrapped and home, safe and sound:




Frankly, I can see including a layer of glassine paper against the painting, before the plastic. It probably gets hot and humid at some point on the route home, and I'd be concerned that the plastic might stick to the surface of the painting (as the top layer is acrylic gel medium). But otherwise, it's interesting to take note of how the pros do it.

And the good news is, I have all this free packing material, ready to re-use!