Shipping and FAQs

Shipping Questions:

How do you ship large prints?

Large prints are anything bigger than about 11”x14”. A typical giclée print on archival paper in the 8”x10” or 11”x14” range would be shipped flat. Once they get bigger, a print will likely be rolled into a tube and shipped like that. The best thing to do if receiving a large format paper print in a tube is to immediately remove the print from the tube upon receipt and gently flatten for a couple of days, and then get it over to your framer to be completed. The longer it stays in the tube, the higher the likelihood of buckling or warping once it is finally removed. That would be a bummer.

I want a few things. Can I group multiple items into one shipment?

Paypal doesn’t give options for shipping multiple items in one order. Please contact me directly at [email protected] to discuss a custom option for shipping when ordering more than one item from the store. We’ll work something out.

What does it cost to ship an original?

Let’s face it, I put my heart and soul into my originals, and if you are purchasing an original, you’re spending a lot of money. Neither of us want to see our investment of time or money go to waste. Please contact me directly at [email protected] to discuss shipping options for getting originals to your home or office safely and in a timely fashion.

Is insurance optional?

All prints and originals are shipped insured. It just makes sense.

Where can you ship to?

Fortunately, my shipping carriers only give me one requirement: give them a street address to ship to and nobody gets hurt. Give them a PO Box…well, let’s just say the brown suit people get really cranky. So please always use an actual street address when shipping artwork.

FAQs

What the heck is a giclée, and why do I care?

Great question. Giclée prints are really cool for three major reasons:

1. The color range of a giclée is broader than the old style of offset lithograph printing, meaning my prints almost match the original painting’s colors exactly
2. Giclée prints are acid-free, archival quality prints. Meaning that they don’t fade, they don’t bleed, and 150 years later, they should still look just as good (as long as you haven’t left it in the back window of your car for a week in the Texas sun). I choose museum-quality, certified paper and canvases to enhance the longevity of the artwork
3. Giclée prints are often less expensive and give you more options for printing substrates then offset lithograph prints. You can get a better quality, more authentic print, for a much better investment

So what’s an original?

An “original” in my case is the unique, singular application of oil paint on either canvas or art board, with my impasto palette knife technique. Impasto basically means thick paint, and I can really lay it on thick. It’s the one and only. The real McCoy. The block that the chips come off of.

Do you do custom or commissioned work?

As a matter of fact, yes. I do commissioned work. Please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ideas and I can provide an estimate for cost and completion date.

Giclées: Paper or canvas?

Giclée printing gives you lots of options for what to print on. I have chosen one type of paper that I believe does an excellent job of presenting the artwork, providing a bit of texture, and is also certified acid-free. I have also chosen to print on canvas as well. My canvas prints add an extra level of authenticity, and the canvas is already installed on ¾” stretcher bars. I also only provide the canvas prints as an Artist Retouched edition (see FAQ below), because the texture added by my going back over the print really makes the print pop.

What is an Artist Retouched print?

The cool thing about my paintings is they have this enormously tactile surface. A print is just a flat visual representation of the original, and it does a very good job of capturing color accurately. However, the texture is sort of…lost. So I choose to retouch all my canvas print editions with a special acrylic coating where I’m able to go back over the surface and add back in the texture and gloss almost like the original oil painting. Customers who have seen my originals and have then purchased the retouched prints are amazed how much they look like the originals.

Do you provide a Certificate of Authenticity?

All prints and originals are shipped with it’s own specific Certificate of Authenticity. This certificate displays an artist’s statement about the work, a brief bio, some technical specs about the artwork itself, and is signed and dated as an approved Paintings by Eric Boston work of art.

Do you offer limited edition prints?

Most of my print editions are part of a numbered lot, which are also categorized by substrate, size, finish, etc. Please contact me at [email protected] with any questions regarding print editions.

Do you print custom sized prints?

The sizes I have listed on the site are just for convenience. However, just about any range of size can be accommodated, depending on resolution and output limitations. Please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your custom print order ideas.

What are your payment types?

I accept all major credit cards and PayPal. My web site offers the default option of PayPal. However, if you are sneaky, and look at the link below the main sign in area, it’ll ask “Don’t have a PayPal account?”. If you click on that, it gives you a check out by credit card option. Then you’re good to go.

Do your paintings or prints come with hangers?

Yes. Well, no. It depends. Gallery wrapped original oil paintings will have a hanging wire already installed. Gallery wrapped giclée prints on canvas can have the wire installed on request (for free). Paper prints need to be framed to be able to be hung, so those do not come with any installed hardware for hanging.

What do I do about framing?

Framing most prints and originals is really important. The only time framing is not necessary is when an original oil painting or a giclée print is gallery-wrapped, or museum-wrapped. That means the artwork continues around the sides, and you have the option to frame it or not, as you see fit. However, most prints should to be framed, and all prints on archival paper absolutely need to be framed. Matting is an option that your frame consultant can help you decide on, and adding glass can be ok for paper prints as well. I discuss what I do with my canvas prints in another question below that makes adding glass to a canvas print not a good idea. You can read about that in my FAQ regarding “Artist Retouched” prints. Also, some of my prints and original oil paintings are standard frame sizes…and some just aren’t even close to being normal. So you’ll want to plan on getting a non-gallery-wrapped painting or print to a custom framer for an estimate on what it’ll take to get it framed.

I have a question not listed here. How do I get an answer to that?

Always feel free to email me at [email protected]. You can also engage with me at facebook.com/ericwboston where I’m happy to respond to messages and posts.