When artists create paintings their focus is typically on issues of aesthetics. Concerns over the substrate, ground, painting materials and the overall durability or integrity of the work are typically either built into the working style, or not. Usually, last among the concerns for the work is its stability in regards to its storage and/or shipping. An artist may have looked at any given painting hundreds of times to assure it meets certain criteria of the show, event, or new owner; but, in order for the work to survive, it is critical to look at the work from the unusual perspective of the mover. How fragile is this work? How heavy is it? What are the dimensions? Are there any special concerns for this object that need to be considered? Successfully transporting artwork hinges on several key factors. Understanding what sort of things can go wrong and what precautionary measures must be taken, will greatly reduce potential problems.

Paintings constructed with acrylic artist paints seem indestructible compared to many more delicate painting mediums such as gouache, watercolor, encaustics and tempera, or drawing mediums such as pastels or charcoal. The common understanding of the advantage of acrylic paints over oil is that they will not suffer the problems caused by oil paints’ embrittlement over time. Under most conditions, acrylic paintings remain flexible and are able to withstand considerable abuse. It is just this sense of ease of care that artists have presumed, which has led to carelessness and caused significant problems when transporting or moving acrylic paintings.There are many helpful resources for artists to consult before packaging and transporting works. This issue of Just Paint offers some excerpts from these resources. The purpose of this article is not to recreate those resources, which are rich with examples and suggestions, but to examine some of the significant issues with works completed in acrylic that may not specifically be covered in this compilation of literature. A resource list is included at the end of this article for invaluable references regarding appropriate care when moving and storing acrylic paintings.

Practical Considerations

(or the disclaimer up front)
This article is organized starting with the most protective of all the packaging techniques, crating. This is done to call specific attention to best practices; realizing that artists more often than not find other creative ways to transport work. Best practices are provided for these other methods as well, with the important caveat that none of these methods is without risk. As one moves down the ladder of best practices, the risk significantly increases that something untoward may happen to the work.

What is being protected?
Acrylic paintings have several unique attributes that create value as a fine artists’ medium, but these attributes can also be significantfactors for concern in addressing the packaging and moving of the paintings. Under most environmental conditions, acrylic paintings are very flexible, which dramatically reduces the potential for cracking in most situations, yet the price paid for this flexibility is a softer film; one that can be scratched, scuffed and marred easily. This is even more of a challenge when working with very matte or underbound acrylic paintings (meaning overloaded with pigment or other solids, exceeding the critical ratios of pigment to binder). Another property of this flexible paint surface is the relative permeable nature of the waterborne acrylic. This property allows for dirt or pollutants to become embedded (especially in a fresher film). Finally, the most significant property of the acrylic film (again especially representative of fresh films) is the potential tackiness of the surface.

The nature of the acrylic surface leads to one inevitable conclusion: that for an acrylic painting, it is critical to protect the painting’s surface. This is probably obvious to every reader so far, but as opposed to oil paint films in which the greatest danger is fracturing the painting’s film, protecting the acrylic painting does require at least some different considerations. Although protecting the painting’s surface must be the primary directive for packing and shipping acrylic paintings, it does not provide for all the
necessary considerations.

Acrylic paint films become brittle at low temperatures, usually around 40° F. Transit by air freight or in unheated trucks in cold winter weather can result in cracked paint films due to vibration during
transit. The obvious way to prevent this problem is to ship in a temperature controlled truck. In the case of shipment by air, steps must be taken to assure that the paint layer does not vibrate during transit. The use of a rigid backing board will sufficiently dampen transit vibrations.

Physical Considerations of Artwork

How a painting is constructed is crucial in determining the potential methods of transportation.
A canvas can be transported either stretched or unstretched and therefore, it’s important to consider the consequences of both. A rolled canvas may ship more easily and cost efficiently, but when it arrives it will have to be unrolled and re-stretched – both actions may damage the artwork. Rolled, the surface is seemingly protected, yet in this condition, care must be taken to avoid the potential of the painting surface picking up fibers in the overlying canvas. If the stretched canvas is to be moved, the surface and back must be protected and the corners must be able to sustain an impact from handling. Additionally, if the work is transported in cold weather, provisions must be made for reducing shock to the painting surface. These issues will be addressed later in the article.

A panel painting or works attached to rigid board will also need the surface and corners protected and although it is significantly protected from vibration, it will have to potentially withstand other objects being stacked on top of it.

The age of artwork is also of importance during moving.
While acrylics dry very quickly, they can take much longer to fully cure. Film thickness, materials used and environmental factors determine the time required for paint films to cure. An uncured acrylic film will be softer and more prone to blocking and ferrotyping, while an older, more fully cured piece will be less prone to damage.

The Impact of Paint Film Curing During Shipment

There are four stages involved in the drying of acrylic paint films (See Figure 1). The first stage is a paint film retains its shape as it cures. If a partially cured painting is rolled up for shipping and stays rolled while the film cures, it will be very difficult to level out the canvas when unrolled. This rolled film will be more likely to crack as it’s unrolled, especially under lower temperatures. Folded paintings would suffer even more so.the initial evaporation of water occurring at a linear rate, throughout which the paint remains wet and workable. The second stage begins as the acrylic solids in the film become more compacted. In the third stage of drying, the acrylic polymer solids – more or less spherical in shape – begin deforming as a result of capillary action caused by the flow of water to the surface, thus eliminating interstitial area and forming a continuous, honey-comb like structure. At this point, the paint film feels dry to the touch. The last stage of drying involves the final evaporation of water and coalescing solvent, particle compaction, along with chain entanglement of the polymer solids, forming a continuous film. Critical properties such as adhesion, hardness and clarity are not completed until the film is fully cured. (For more information about acrylic film formation, refer to the GOLDEN “Technical Notes on Drying” Information Sheet). An acrylic film is at its greatest risk during this curing process.If the artwork is shipped before the paint has been allowed to fully cure, several negative situations can occur. Since the paint film is still developing, it has the greatest chance of adhering to anything and everything with which it comes in contact. Packing materials such as glassine and cardboard can become permanently bonded to the paint surface. Two paintings facing and in contact with each other can easily become bonded together, most likely resulting in the damage of both surfaces. Additionally, a fresh paint film is more likely to attract dirt and dust particles that will potentially become permanently embedded in the paint film. Thick paint films can develop cracks and crazes during excessive movement while curing. Cold temperatures can harm the film formation process and may even result in early delamination. Temperatures below 49° F do not allow for the proper alignment and deformation of the polymers.

Packing Artwork For Shipping

A new set of parameters is created each time artwork is transported. Ideally, the best shipping method for any acrylic painting is one where nothing is allowed to touch the surface of the work. It cannot be stressed enough that most damage in shipping occurs because something came in contact with the painting surface, causing one or more of the following types of damage:

Ferrotyping