How do you move paintings?
What do you do if the work you produce can’t be sent by email, text or put on a blog? Because my idea of fun is writing I often forget about others who work in creative fields. Like my son, Andrew. He produces amazing art work and it’s often on large wall size canvases.
What if your work is so big it has to be moved from one floor to the next down steep concrete stairs, or by an elevator?
First you have to have a space to create work of that size. For my son that means an older building in the city. The building is ancient and has been used so much that the concrete stairs are worn in the middle much like wooden stairs of the early to mid 1800s.
This weekend we helped our son move his paintings from his studio to the Concrete Ocean Art Gallery in St. Louis. His show is Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 pm if you happen to be in St. Louis stop by and check it out. Here’s a painting by Andrew Brandmeyer that will be available–without the blue MOVING PAINTINGS rectangle –I added that.
Moving paintings require muscle, great care and a truck. We have the truck and trailer, and Mr. Quiet has the muscles. (He’s not going to like this photo…I took it when he wasn’t looking. That’s his thinking face.)
And a cat.
No artist or writer is ever without a cat right?
Andy packed the painting with care into boxes. Lot’s of protection to make sure the frames aren’t scratched or the paint chipped.
I couldn’t help it. I had to play with some of the fun apps I learned about in the iphonography class.
This one fit through the door. After one attempt we realized the bigger paintings couldn’t make the turn at the bottom of the stairs and had to be moved by the old building’s freight elevator.
Every time we left the studio for a few minutes the door gate had to be locked because of where the studio is located.
We followed Andy to the gallery, driving slow, cautious of the cargo we carried. Works of art, creations only one person could do. With a sigh of relief we arrived at the Concrete Ocean Art Gallery and our responsibility ended.
What special things have you moved?
This has got to be a feat in itself. I am not an artist.. I can’t paint to save my life! But I respect the fact the the younger generation can. A painting I think can take months and months to get right.. I would imaging you need a lot of patience?
Great to read!
Hi William,
Some of his pieces take a very long time. I don’t have the patience to draw or paint. I like finger painting. 🙂
Diana
Wow this post is so informative. Thank you for sharing. I don’t own any huge pieces of art work, but if I ever do I will know how to move them without damaging them.
Glad you found it helpful.
Diana
I had to know! And, as I sit with a number of paintings done by my grandmother (who has had paintings in a number of galleries throughout the country posthumously). They are not hung; they are not protected; they are not ordered. I’m a mess! Actually these are not MY paintings, they are my mothers heirlooms from her mother in HER garage. We had great plans for those paintings when we moved mom to this house almost 3 years ago. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for us.
However, your post has inspired me! I WILL get those paintings out, cleaned, sorted and hung or stored properly……..SOME DAY!
Seriously, thank you for this post! 🙂
Brenda,
YES!!! Get them out so you can enjoy them!
Diana
I had to read this because I have “been there, done that” in more ways than one. I used to paint really large paintings like that…and lately I’ve been painting postcard size…so much easier to deal with! Anyway, congrats to your son, for his art, show, and having supportive parents! You should have put a link to his website here…I’m sure we’d all like to see more.
I would love to put a link to his webpage. He doesn’t have one. It’s something he’s been meaning to do. But he does post his art on Facebook. Search Andrew Brandmeyer and friend him.
Postcard size would be so much easier to move. 🙂
Diana