In Reply to: Painnntinngggggggs posted by dan_the_man on Tuesday, 10. June 2008 at 20:21 Bali Time:
We have bought back many large paintings over the years. As an artist I guess I have a bit of practice stretching canvases.If the painting is small, I agree the bubble wrap is a good option, or take the painting home as hand luggage. If the painting is say larger than 60cmx60cm, I would have it taken off the timber frame, wrapped carefully and would re-stretch it at home. My husband always makes timber frames for me, so the size is always exact. But as you know the Balinese are always trying to save money, so they paint right up to the edge, often only leaving 1cm,or less, to stretch the canvas over the frame! Spraying the back of the canvas with water often helps, or I have sometimes made the frame a couplee of mm smaller to allow more canvas to stretch. Just make sure that once you get home yu unroll your artwork straight away,and store it flat until re-stretching. Don't leave it rolled up as this may make it crack. Also, remember that oil paintings can take months to dry, so a painting that has been painted recently will have less chance of cracking. I bought two oil paintings last trip, that looked really old when I bought them, I should have thought twice, but I loved the colours, and the artists style. I discovered at home they both had cracked once they were rolled up, luckily I have since repaired them. It sounds like alot of work, but I love all the paintings I have brought home from Bali, each one reminds me of a different trip!