Winston Publishing

PORTFOLIO ~ P.45 TEXT BY AMY JOYNER I t's Western Art Week, with thousands of pieces of art being sold to buyers who can't wait to get their purchase home for a proud, lifelong display. Whether going 90 miles from Great Falls to Helena, or thousands of miles to America's East Coast, the quandary is making sure it travels and arrives safely. Perhaps the safest thing is to rely on a professional. Experience with packing methods and choosing the right trans- port can make a difference. Even the most experienced artists shy away from those tasks. At a favorite central Great Falls packing and shipping business, an owner knows the trust it takes for artists and their buyers to hand over their artwork for ship- ping. Marcy, a Ship-It owner and packing master, says she remembers once during Western Art Week when a long-time cus- tomer spotted her at a busy art show. The woman was so excited she ran toward Marcy, saying, "There she is - my shipper." Speaking directly to Marcy, the woman said, "I'm on a buying spree; I wanted to give you a heads up. You are the only shipper I will use." Even artists have that enthusiasm and confidence in Ship-It. Steven Oies- tad, fulltime professional artist working on western and landscape pieces (mostly pastels), said, "I pretty much leave it up to Ship-It. They do a fantastic job of packing." Oiestad says this is his 28th year at the Out West Art Show and adds, "I'm kind of an old timer." While becoming an "old timer," he has learned the hard way about shipping his art. "Pastels are trickier because they have glass. (In ship- ping,) you have to put glass skin over the glass, so in case of breaking, that skin holds the glass in place," he says. "I've tried to do it myself, and even if I packed them in float boxes, I did have a couple of pieces damaged." His advice to new artists? "I tell them to have the art professionally packaged and charge the customer." Lisa Botti agrees. For 13 years she has been more than a typical potter; she is a customized potter. "I focus on businesses and bringing their logo to life on clay." Her production work includes mugs with custom logo art, and an array of themed art. Her work is custom, and fragile; and she usually has to ship it to her customers. "As long as I am shipping through Ship-It, there is no stress," she says. She will hand deliver items within Great Falls, but when it is headed across the state or country, Botti doesn't tackle it on her own. She remembers a high-volume set of dishes, with service for eight – din- ner and salad plates, and mugs. It was headed for Missouri. As is typical, she handed it off to Ship It in Great Falls for professional packing and shipping. "Everything arrived intact," she adds. As an experience shipper, Marcy BRINGING, SENDING, TAKING IT HOME Professionals prepared for difficult packing & transport BELOW: The packaging of a bronze sculpture at Ship-It, 825 5th Ave S, Great Falls, MT

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