To Watch Over Them

Debra Jones · 03-27-2003, 12:42 AM

I came forward when a member another forum posted the need for a portrait artist.

He is going for his final papers on Saturday with a four day processing time and will probably be sent out within one week thereafter.
I am trying to establish a professional ethic so I bid him a 16x20, which he requested but had a real desire to leave behind his "presence" while overseas. He has already done service in Kuwait and had about a month home. When I sent my pricing, I gave him a discount. He mailed back that his $1,100 pfc pay would not cover it but he had a newish laptop he would try to sell on ebay and wished to commission me if the sale worked out.

BARTER.

I did this 24"x20" from his photo. He requested it be in the style of my Pirate Ted. I used the same basic colors, but Ted gets its drama from the lighting and high contrast.

I have used liquin and fans and am relying on ARIZONA to have it dry enough to attempt to ship on Friday.

Leslie Ficcaglia · 03-27-2003, 02:39 PM

That's a really nice portrait, dj*, and I'm sure it's going to mean a lot to them. I hope he manages to sell his laptop and come through with payment for you. What a hairy way to do business, and what a kind soul you are.

Leslie

Marta Prime · 03-27-2003, 03:56 PM

Hey, if nothing else works out, you can take the laptop in exchange! Those things are worth some bucks! That's true barter!

Nicely done painting. I enjoy all of your work.

Debra Jones · 03-27-2003, 04:09 PM

The laptop I have scouted as worth between $850 and $1250 so I will be exchanging a better value for both of us. I can pretend I didn't give him the discount, and he won't have to worry he sets his reserve too high.

(He he he... I can watch DVD's at work now!) I need a little feed back.

He is also an artist and for speed on my end, I asked him if he minded stretching it again himself. I have shipped with the bars in mailing tubes before and find it so much easier to reassemble on the other end, if they have the tools. I figured it is really dry and I did stretch it rather loosefor this reason, I would like to roll it gently with waxed paper on the paint side and newsprint against the canvas. I have put the bars in the middle of the painting and sent off before, but IF there are any soft areas that may still pop, do you thing the three day postal plus a probable Sunday would cause problems. I figure if it were to stick to waxed paper a hairdryer and a bit of linseed would detach it and they could use it right away.

That bubble pack and the frame stretched in a box, make me more gun-shy from simply having the possiblity of plastic sticking, size of the target for poking and potential disaster.

Anyone else ever tackle speed shipping?

Debra Jones · 03-30-2003, 11:11 PM

Just updating on the client.

I just got an email from him saying he was home from "Processing." He spent three days filling out more papers than he had ever seen, taking courses and getting two hours of sleep a night.
His input in process has been very favorable and I had test packaged it before mailing. I ended up with tissue, not waxed paper. I put a tube within a tube wrapping the painting around the tube holding the stretcher bars and the larger tube filled with crumpled newsprint so the padding was rather giving.

There will be a few paper crinkles but it should stretch out fine. Arizona is a wonderful state.

Just musing on the fact that a boy can send a note out into cyberspace at the outbreak of a war, get a deal done, a painting completed and with the conflict not two weeks old, make it to the front with the piece hanging on his wall, half a continent away.

Such times....