The Path of a Painting: From Artist, Gallery, Website, to You
From studio to gallery to your home — what goes into caring for your artwork every step of the way.
When new artwork arrives from our artists, we take extra care from the very first moment the box hits our hands. Each package is opened with patience and precision — often box cutters instead of scissors— to avoid cutting too deep and risking damage to the art inside. We never want to cut into canvas, frame, or piece of glass. Most artists mark their packages with fragile tape to help ensure careful handling during shipping. Once opened, we’re greeted with layers of bubble wrap, plastic wrap, or paper thoughtfully arranged to protect each piece. Every unboxing is its own small act of care, setting the tone for how we handle artwork from arrival all the way to display or storage.
Once the artwork is unboxed, we carefully inspect each piece to ensure it’s gallery-ready — checking frames, canvases, and surfaces for any imperfections. If an issue ever arises, we reach out to the artist right away to discuss repairs, whether they prefer to handle it themselves or have us assist in-house. During this stage, our inventory manager, Lily, steps in. She measures every piece, records its dimensions, and inputs the information into our system so it’s accessible online for collectors browsing our site. Each title, artist name, and detail is entered individually, since every piece we receive is an original.
Lily is truly the behind-the-scenes force who keeps our collection organized and ensures each artwork is properly documented, cared for, and ready to move from the artist’s studio to the gallery — and eventually to your home. Once a piece has been inspected and entered into inventory, it’s ready to be photographed, shared on social media, or displayed on the gallery floor. Most artists send their work at least a week or two before an upcoming show or online release, giving us time to prepare everything for its debut.
We absolutely love Lily’s photography — it plays a huge role in what makes our gallery stand out. While many galleries rely on a single JPEG to represent a piece, we believe that artwork deserves more than just one flat image. Lily captures each piece from multiple angles, highlighting textures, brushstrokes, and fine details so collectors can truly experience the work online.
Because so much of our audience views and shops through our digital platforms, these details matter. In our previous studio, the abundant natural light made photographing pieces a little bit easier. In our new space, we’re still experimenting with lighting setups to achieve the same crisp, true-to-life results. Lily spends hours perfecting each image in Adobe Lightroom, often keeping the painting right beside her to ensure every color and tone matches the original. Her attention to detail helps us bring the in-person gallery experience to your screen.
When preparing artwork to ship to one of our wonderful clients, we take great care to package each piece with intention and attention to detail. Every artwork is first wrapped in bubble wrap, with the tape placed carefully on the front-facing layer. This ensures that when we tie on the ribbon and attach any small goodies, nothing presses directly against or damages the canvas, frame, or glass. We then place the piece face down in the box, cushioned with a layer of bubble wrap or paper beneath it, and another layer on top for added protection. This creates a soft buffer on all sides, preventing any movement or impact during transit. From our gallery to your home, we want every piece to arrive just as beautiful as it left — safely, securely, and ready to be enjoyed.
Each piece arrives with a thoughtful gift bag containing nails, instructions on how to hang your artwork, and a heartfelt note from Lily thanking you for supporting our gallery. We especially love when clients share photos of their new pieces displayed in their homes — seeing the art in its new space always brings us joy. No matter where you are, whether nearby or across the globe, it’s wonderful to see our clients connect with the artwork just as much as we and the artists do. At the end of the day, every package we send isn’t just about delivering art — it’s about sharing the story, care, and passion behind each piece, making your home a little brighter and more inspired.
