We have a saying in my house when I talk about things that sound a little too technical for my wife.

Actually there’s a big body language component as well.

My wife will roll her eyes and simply say “you’re f-stopping me. ”

It’s a little inside joke about the days some 25 years ago when I was getting started in photography and I would talk about the best aperture, or f stop,  I needed to get the best shot in black and white.

Flash forward to my recent obsession with the correct way to ship an original acrylic painting.

In a moment, I’ll tell you how, for a limited time, you can get 20% off any original posted on my website, shipping included.

Trust me on this folks, getting a painting sent across the country is way more complicated than it sounds.

To pack and ship an acrylic to museum-grade standards takes time and careful planning.  And getting everything right required a lot of, well, f-stops.

And hats off to my colleague Scott Fisher at Golden Artist Colors and my assistant Gina Borg for their help.

Golden provides terrific technical assistance, and Scott was great at giving me pointers on the whole process.

Turns out the safest way to ship one of my originals is to make sure nothing touches any surface of the canvas.

Here’s how it all goes down. We start by constructing four cardboard corners. Then those corners are stapled to the back of the canvas.

But because I have painted the sides of nearly all my paintings to give them a wonderful 3D look, that means we need to leave space around the sides as well.

Then Gina will apply Velcro to the bottom of the box and the four corners. After she attaches the painting to that structure, she then puts a protective barrier around the sides of the canvas and over the top.

Then the painting is placed inside a full cardboard box. It’s basically a box-in-a-box system that reminds me of Russian dolls.

As you can imagine, unpacking the original might seem daunting. So, I made a one-minute video on the proper way to de-construct the package in a way that eliminates the possibility of damage.

After they’ve received the painting, I send my collectors that video. 

Now you know why I believe that including the cost of shipping with any Michael Robinson original is a much better deal than it might sound at first.

With labor, materials and actual shipping costs thrown in, “Never Mind Godsmack, I Stand Alone,” cost me $175 to ship from Oakland to the Baltimore area.

Not that I’m complaining…

I love finding good homes for my originals and helping collectors rest assured that the Michael Robinson painting they fell in love with will make it across country safe and sound.

So, with that in mind, I wanted to let you know I’m offering 20% any original listed on my websites. Use special code VIP20 at checkout, and yes shipping is included. The sale ends May 15.

After that, I may offer discounts on originals one painting at a time. Think of it as Michael Robinson’s “weekly special.”