Alaskan Artist - Elise Tomlinson
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11/16/2005: "Psssst, Psssst....hey buddy over here...take a look at these genuine Tomlinson originals..."


One thing I miss about painting on canvas is the fact I could just hang them on the walls to dry. For the panel paintings, I'm thinking of installing a thin ledge along one wall, something similar to the lip on a chalk board. That way I can just rest the paintings along it to dry. It might look funky but I don't have enough easles to hold all my works in progress so I don't really know what else to do. Drying racks take up way too much space.

Anyway, I'm *still* waiting on my air purifier from Air N Water. I'm starting to get pissed off. First they said FREE SHIPPING on thier website which showed all the zones of the US, including Alaska, with no "contigeous US" clauses at all. So *after* I paid I get an email that they need an extra $30 for shipping. OK, I paid it reluctantly. But that was almost 3 weeks ago, and according to the tracking number they gave me, FedEx hasn't even picked it up from their wharehouse yet!

I emailed them to complain and no one has responded. So while I'm hoping this AirSoPure purifier will be wonderful, I'm not sure I can recommend Airnwater.com as an online vendor. I'm just anxious, I want the damn purifier because I'm not using any of my favorite painting chemicals until I get it. Painting with just walnut oil is just not doing it for me.

In other news, after spending a huge amount of time trying to figure out how to ship that large painting, I've come to the conclusion that I'll have to ship it rolled. Has anyone ever done that before? I'm sure it will be fine but I'm not taking any new commissions over 24"x30".

The final payment on this painting will come just in time for Christmas though, which is very cool. I'm going "home" to Nebraska for the holidays and it's incredibly expensive. Plane tickets from Juneau cost around $350 just to get to Seattle. Then once I get to Omaha I need a rental car for 2 weeks, and I have to hire a pet sitter for while I'm gone and buy christmas presents for my dad, grandparents, 4 sisters/brother's-in-laws, and 10 nieces and nephews not to mention friends.

For god's sake would somebody buy another painting!
:crazy:


Replies: 15 Comments

on Wednesday, November 16th, Joan said

Hope to see you this year, Elise.

on Thursday, November 17th, subi said

okay, i would buy one if i had the cake.... alas, not anytime soon :( but, with your advice in way of the cover letter maybe that will happen? i went over it obsessively...if not perhaps i can commission you for cv/resume advice for future apps? whether it be chocolate or bucks i'm good for it!

on Thursday, November 17th, Elise said

Hey Joan, can't wait!

And Subi, you know I was totally joking right?
;)
But I'm sure you'll get that job, it seems perfect for you.
Keep me posted!

on Thursday, November 17th, greg said

You might try that craigslist arts forum for shipping-a-rolled-canvas advice. You just need to use the search feature, not start a new thread, cos it gets asked there a lot I recall. I only remember it needs to be rolled painted surface out. It does get tricky so I'd definitely try that, or call up a gallery!

Ah those holiday expenses. Try getting your family to forgo presents and evryone donate $ to a charity of his/her choice. Or... whip out a bunch of fun 8x10 panels of a tree, a leaf, a mountain, etc. (?) :)

I thought of doing that, but since I now officially "hate to paint" ... oh well :rolleyes:

on Thursday, November 17th, leahpeah said

i just paid $176.00 and sent a huge 4 X 3 ft painting through UPS. even with the 'special' box insert that was supposed to support the box so it wouldn't collapse, the canvas was ripped in 2 places and the frame was broken in a corner. although a few years ago i was sending pieces like crazy all over through ups, i think i'm going to have to agree that now with the much higher rates and the new support boxes, rolling the canvas is the right way to go.

on Thursday, November 17th, Elise said

Hey Greg, I always joked with my friend rick that he better not give me a card saying he'd donated money on my behalf!
:)
But it is a nice gesture, can't really do it with the 10 nieces and nephews though...or can I?
:laugh:
Also, you mention Craig's list a lot but could you post a link to it for me, I don't think I'm finding the right one.

And hi Leah! I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your painting! That really sucks, it's my worst fear to have something like that happen. Did the insurance pay for it? Did you have to refund the collector's money? What a nightmare.

I'm trying to find a good system for rolling the work, I found some PVC tubes called Chartpaks, that might do the trip. They're air tights and really strong. The key, from what I've read, is that you need one with a wide enough diameter. I'm looking for one at least 5 or 6 inches wide. If you get one only 2-3 inches around, you have to roll the painting too tightly, and that could lead to cracking on the paintings surface. Of course, I use quite a bit of oil in my paintings so I think there will be zero risk of that happening.

on Thursday, November 17th, Elise said

Hey, I just found this link from Gamblin's FAQ page which has very simple, straightforward answers about the best way to paint so that you're paintings will last forever at: http://www.gamblincolors.com/faq/techniques.html

Also, they mention the best way to roll a painting:

Roll it with the image to the outside of the roll.

Roll it over the largest diameter core you can tolerate, 6" diameter minimum.

Leave it rolled for the shortest time you have to.

When unrolling, allow the picture to come to room temperature if it has been in cold storage, and unroll it slowly.
:doze:

on Thursday, November 17th, holly said

Gaylord has tubes up to 10 feet long and 8 inches in diameter- you could cut them to fit the length of the painting (they also sell the tube caps. Good point about letting the painting come to room temperature, especially this time of year. I'd imagine that paint might have a tendency to chip if unrolled in a hurry while it was still cold.

Someday, I'm going to buy Lupine Slumber from you, especially with a ginger kitty in it.

on Thursday, November 17th, Elise said

I really was just joking about the desperate plea for people to buy so I can participate in the horrible commercial enterprise that is Christmas...but I appreciate the thought Holly. I also thought of the ginger kitty sleeping in the sun, when I saw your photos of Thom.
sigh...
I litterally can't stop hugging and kissing my two little guys these days.

Anyway, thanks for the links. Those 8" diameter tubes look perfect though they are pretty expensive (189.00) but the photos gave me an idea...I wonder if JoAnne Fabrics would have any tubes left over that they would be willing to just give me? I'm going to give them a call, if not I'll probably just bite the bullet and order from Gaylords. They have the added benefit of being acid free, though if the painting is only rolled for a few days that probably wouldn't be a big deal.

on Thursday, November 17th, holly said

Hey- that's a great idea about JoAnne Fabrics- those tubes are really thick! Plus, if you're worried about the acid content of the tube, wrap the canvas in acid-free tissue first, so the acid will leech into the tissue. A lot cheaper than the tubes! Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea- it would probbly make the canvas slide out a lot easier when it gets to its destination.

And I really do love Lupine Slumber...

on Thursday, November 17th, Elise said

Hey Holly, I was able to pick up a couple things from JoAnns that will work perfectly (for free!)
but the acid free tissue is a good tip.

thanks!

on Monday, November 21st, greg said

If you're still reading this far back, I did a craigslist search, and didn't come up with anything. I sounds like you're finding out good info on your own! Just NEVER mail a flat framed painting!

on Monday, November 21st, Elise said

I have actually mailed quite a few framed paintings flat. The thing is, they are deep pocket wooden gallery frames, so they don't have glass or anything. I've had excellent luck so far. The painting I just got in the mail today I had to roll which made me really nervous but I guess we'll see how it comes out on the other end.

Wish me luck!

on Tuesday, November 22nd, greg said

Luck! :D

Gosh I've heard horror stories of punctures and rips in flat mailed paintings. I figured the only way was to pack them for ease of mind, in a museum quality wooden crate. That, plus insurance, and one would probably lose $ on the deal! :O

on Tuesday, November 22nd, Elise said

I pass the actual shipping fees on to the customer, so I have to make it somewhat affordable.

That said, I package the hell out of my paintings...styrofoam corners wrapped with cellofane, also I add the plexiglass from the frame to the front of the image, and the hardboard back to the outer wall, and there is always about a 2" buffer all the way around the images...so, I do take precautions.

If a painting was damaged in transit, it would be cheaper and less hassle to repaint it or refund the customer their money...their choice.