Avoid the Dreadful Bubble Wrap Menace

There are many delightful uses for Bubble Wrap - as in this portrait by Hendrik Kerstens below.

We live in a bubble wrap world.

But. . .

WARNING:

If you plan to wrap and ship your work to a client or gallery - do NOT allow bubble wrap to come in direct contact with the surface of an oil painting.

Unless, of course, you plan to enjoy the uniform pattern of dots that will appear on the surface of your painting.

Use it and lose it.

I do not have any archival or fool-proof method to correct this "bad chemistry" problem created by bubble wrap.

I cover the painted surface with newsprint or brown paper to prevent any bubble wrap from coming in contact with the painted surface.

I have spoken with a number of artists about this problem. Many are heartbroken that they have had to repaint their work.

Bryan C. recently emailed me with his comment that he was able to save his artwork:

"You asked me to let you know if re-misting the artwork with the same varnish would correct the problem. I am delighted to say that it worked!! The varnish is now in the drying stage and the marks are gone. Just to remind you that the marks were not in the oil paint itself, they were just in the resin."

NOTE: I never use any spray varnish on my work -it's a no-no. I prefer Winsor-Newton Conserv Art glossy (it eventually dulls to a "satin" finish) to protect my painted surface.

Bryan is currently experimenting with other ways to save his bubble-wrap-wrecked works and I will post his findings.

However, the best way to deal with the bubble wrap problem is to know about it and prevent problems from happening. Chemistry and the knowlege of how to make our works archival are important - don't take chances.