There have been a few technical niggles I've been trying to iron out for a while now. Occasionally the edges of my work has been damaged by couriers. Also the big ones are very heavy - around 40kg which makes them impossible for me to move around on my own and makes them susceptible to damage simply because they are awkward to move and a lot of weight was sitting on any edge placed on a hard surface.
I've looked at so many options.....
1.change the materials I work with to a harder resin? I'm always up for playing with new materials, but each one works differently and doesn't have the same finished look so not going to work as a solution really.
2. take moulds of the artwork and make the cast out of resin? Well that's definitely what I'm going to do with a piece I'm currently devising, but I don't want to be churning out copies as it's all about the hand finishing for me.
3. Find a lighter substrate :- for some reason this has been a much harder problem to solve than I'd ever imagined. Just about everything I was pointed towards fell down on a technical problem or cost. Many materials don't come in wide enough sheets so I have to be able to join them nicely without fear of ugly seams or cracking. Some were just too flexible..I can't work straight onto canvas because I need a hard surface to create the textures against.
Soooo I decided that I should start using floating frames for the work which is going to shops as they are the ones most vulnerable to damage whilst being handled, wrapped and delivered by people who aren't used to working with artwork. This is great for a lot of my pieces as it works really well with the mid-century feel of my work, but some of my clients don't want a frame and prefer the "gallery wrapped canvas" look so I resumed my search and as of Thursday I think I have finally found my solution - Graphic Ultra Board by Dufaylite www.ultraboard.com a british company producing an eco friendly recyclable material for an extremely low price who don't insist on minimum orders AND do next day delivery!!! OMG! I talked to their business developement manager Sophie and she had samples sent out to me by the next day. I've already priced my next job with it in mind and will be starting on it in a week.
I'm so happy that moving my artwork will no longer hold the danger of causing a hernia!!!
I've looked at so many options.....
1.change the materials I work with to a harder resin? I'm always up for playing with new materials, but each one works differently and doesn't have the same finished look so not going to work as a solution really.
2. take moulds of the artwork and make the cast out of resin? Well that's definitely what I'm going to do with a piece I'm currently devising, but I don't want to be churning out copies as it's all about the hand finishing for me.
3. Find a lighter substrate :- for some reason this has been a much harder problem to solve than I'd ever imagined. Just about everything I was pointed towards fell down on a technical problem or cost. Many materials don't come in wide enough sheets so I have to be able to join them nicely without fear of ugly seams or cracking. Some were just too flexible..I can't work straight onto canvas because I need a hard surface to create the textures against.
Soooo I decided that I should start using floating frames for the work which is going to shops as they are the ones most vulnerable to damage whilst being handled, wrapped and delivered by people who aren't used to working with artwork. This is great for a lot of my pieces as it works really well with the mid-century feel of my work, but some of my clients don't want a frame and prefer the "gallery wrapped canvas" look so I resumed my search and as of Thursday I think I have finally found my solution - Graphic Ultra Board by Dufaylite www.ultraboard.com a british company producing an eco friendly recyclable material for an extremely low price who don't insist on minimum orders AND do next day delivery!!! OMG! I talked to their business developement manager Sophie and she had samples sent out to me by the next day. I've already priced my next job with it in mind and will be starting on it in a week.
I'm so happy that moving my artwork will no longer hold the danger of causing a hernia!!!
