As you might have read in the post before this one, a lot of steps go into the final work being complete for a show. Once all of those steps are completed the work is, even more, carefully wrapped to be protected during its travel (carefully piled into my van). This is a strategic process because once you spend all the time creating a final piece you DO NOT want to go back in for touch ups every time, if ever. What I have now mastered is the art of packaging and placing around my studio (currently my bedroom) so that it can be timely placed into the van. This also helps me keep the items that must enter the van first to be first on the list to grab.
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Not all of my shows have been local so I have to be sure that I follow a strict packing plan to protect the canvas. If not properly placed the canvas will stretch. To avoid this I use a very simple method that's called "front to front, back to back." In this method of packing I take paintings similar in size and place the back against the wall of the van. I then take the second painting and place the front of it to the front of the first painting (now these two paintings have their face touching). However keep in mind the front faces of the paintings are still covered so the paint, if temperature is bad, wont stick to the other one. Now I take a third painting and place the back of it against the back of painting number two. I repeat this process making sure I move from largest to smallest in painting size. You ALWAYS want to be sure that when a painting is against the other one that the frames(or stretcher bars) are touching on at least two sides. If the frames are touching then the pressure will rest there and not on a section of canvas where it could push and stretch.
If you are unable to get two sides(MIN), of your stretcher bars/frames, to touch then you may want to get a thick piece of cardboard or any board to place in between. After all of that you can now carefully place all of your boxed work in and around it. Be sure to keep things tucked in and close together so that when you make turns and stops there is no wiggle room for things to slide around. This is not only dangerous for the art but will send your blood pressure through the roof worrying about the art with each bump in the road. Now its packed and its all ready to go to a show for tent set up!