If you’ll be showing your work at business establishments (restaurants, galleries, community centers…etc.), here are a few things to keep in mind:
1 – Secure your wire. Many locations require that your work be secured with pliers so it doesn’t fall off the wall and land in someone’s soup. I like to use little eyelet screws and standard hanging wire. It can be a little challenging to affix the eyelet screws to the wood part of the frame. I’ll use a hammer on the eyelet to make a small dent at the point where I want the screw to go, then use pliers to screw it into the wood. If you’re doing this on a finished painting, be careful – you’ll run the risk of ripping the canvas if you slip. I’d advise you to affix the screws and wire as part of your canvas prep (before you create the painting).
2 – Put your name on the back of your work. You can also tape a business card to it, but if you’re able to write directly onto the back, I would advise it. Many galleries will require it anyway, so it’s not a bad habit to get into.
3 – Take inventory. I can’t express how important this is. If something goes missing, you won’t have to wrack your memory and wonder if you actually sent it to ‘such-and-such’ location. It will also help save you the hassle of going back and forth to pick up things you forgot. It won’t help you retrieve work that has vanished from a location, but having a list will help when you go to file a police report. I use Google spreadsheets. The end.
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