Transporting wet paintings/ Hot Box Construction

Does anyone have a secret to transporting wet paintings from Plein Air site to the car and home?

During my last vacation I took painting paper only. I taped the sheet to the easel board. Then I slipped it into my french easel box and it was undamaged. I also had a few canvases that I transported in cardboard boxes which I taped shut. My husband said their smell was bothering him. Does anyone have any suggestions? I like to paint on vacation. Usually we drive 8 hours to the coast for a week. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I am also looking to find a homemade version of the hot box Thomas Kincade used to dry his oils quicker. He would paint and then place them in the "hot box" overnight. The next morning he was ready for the next layer.

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Permalink Reply by John Rowland Kay on March 28, 2015 at 6:51

Hi Lacy

You need four spacers so that you can face two wet canvases together. Many art suppliers have these they are usually small cylindrical pieces of wood with a small spike in each flat face. One spacer in each corner will keep two wet surfaces apart until they dry and they can be held together with a strap or a cord around both.

Let me know if you need any further information.

John

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Permalink Reply by Paula Salmons on March 30, 2015 at 5:41

Re-drying: I put my paintings in the boiler room, or airing cupboard, that works really well and they dry very fast. I also use alkyd oils and this is great for when you are away because they do dry within a few hours without heat. One other alternative but not as good, (but no smells) is to use an open acrylic. However, the colours are different and they do not cover as well as oils.