Editorial
by Barbara Benedetti Newton, May, 2011
Today I am preparing a painting for shipment to the IAPS 18th Juried Exhibit in Albuquerque, NM. Shipping a painting to an exhibit is a bit of a bother and expense but for me, entering shows outside my local area is valuable for the exposure, possible awards and for the opportunity to connect with other artists and organizations.
Those new to pastel may wonder if it is safe to ship pastel work. As a novice I was worried that the pastel surface of my painting would be jarred loose during shipping and would end up ghosting the glass or dirtying the mat. If you take your completed pastel outside and give it a few good whacks before framing, there shouldn't be excess pastel pigment to fall off. Also, always frame with a spacer so the painting surface is kept away from mat and glass and there is a trough for any loose particles of color. (More about framing in a future editorial.)
You'll need a good shipping box. The shipping boxes I use are called Strongbox available from Airfloat Systems, www.airfloatsys.com. A similar box called Artwork Shippers is available from U-Line, www.uline.com. I bought my first Strongbox more than twenty years ago and though I have added three more over the years, the first one is still in use.
I have a various sizes of foam pieces to fit snugly around any size painting (sometimes two paintings in one box). I don't want my art to shift within the box during transit. Protect it the same way you would protect your pastels when going out to paint plein air…think snug foam sandwich. I write my name on every piece of foam and if the placement of the foam pieces is complicated, I take a photo of how I packed it and enclose it with the painting for the person who will repackage it to ship it back to me. To guard against moisture, I always put my art inside a plastic bag before I put it into the shipping box.
I use Scotch® Heavy Duty Shipping and Packaging tape (1.88 in x 54.6 yd roll) dispensed by a tape gun to seal ALL openings on my shipping box. I also put extra tape on every corner and along every outer edge to protect my box from abrasion. I'm sure if I saw how my boxes are handled during transport I would not like it. To transport people, my precious painting is just another awkwardly large box.
Glass or Plexi?
Before I began to paint with pastels, I framed all my art with Plexiglas®. Then, my pastels were always framed with glass because I thought static from the plexi would suck the pastel image right off the ground. Occasionally, an exhibit will specify framing with plexi instead of glass so when I found myself accepted into a show with this requirement, I unframed the art and replaced the glass with a piece of plexi that I cleaned first with Kleenmaster Brillianize® Anti-Static plastic cleaner and a soft cloth. It is available online at Amazon and probably also locally. When the painting arrived back from the show I was surprised to find it in perfect condition - no ghost image on the plexi and no pastel dust on the mat. So, now I'm a believer that pastels can be framed with plexi as long as the image is spaced at least ¼" away from the anti-static cleaned plexi.
Insurance
I have read that FedEx is the only shipping service that will allow you to insure works under glass. I do use FedEx as my shipper but for many years I have had a separate insurance policy to insure art at shows or while in transit.
Though I ship to numerous shows each year, unless requested, I always frame with glass and have never had a problem with breakage. However, for more peace of mind, there are glass protection products available such as Glass Skin® from Masterpak, www.masterpak-usa.com. If the glass shatters, it remains secured to the Glass Skin and away from your art.
I encourage you to enter your pastels in shows across the United States. Many state or regional pastel societies have open shows (no need to be a member of that organization). Having entries from across the US increases the breadth and depth of these shows and connects us with our peers.