Why my artwork travelled 18,900 miles — The Matador And The Stumbling Bull, by Shabs Beigh

The Matador And The Stumbling Bull is a 45.5 x 45.5 inch acrylic on canvas painting. Created in England, exhibited in Texas and sold to a collector in Australia — this artwork travelled over 18,900 miles! When people imagine an artist painting, they just see a paint brush touching a surface — not the groundwork that goes into getting things ready, or the struggle of getting the finished artwork where it needs to be.

I have always wanted to paint a life size bull, and in preparation for that I started doing much larger artworks. Because of its huge size, I had to prepare a custom canvas — sawing, sanding and connecting pieces of timber into a frame, tightly stretching canvas across the sides and securing with staples. Then I applied Gesso which primes the surface for painting.

Transporting such a large painting was its own challenge. As well as trying to avoid high shipping costs, I wanted to ensure that the artwork arrived in one piece. I decided the best way to achieve both was to disassemble the canvas and the frame, and reassemble it in Dallas. The painting arrived in one piece, but trying to put it back together again in my hotel room was not a fun experience. I’ve spent a lifetime painting — not joinery!

The Matador And The Stumbling Bull was sold through an online art retailer to an anonymous buyer in Australia. Before I could send it, I needed to bring it back to England to ensure there was no damage. This meant disassembling it in Texas, reassembling it in yet another hotel in England, checking it over, and then dismantling it so that it could be shipped to Australia. Once it arrived with the customer, I paid for a professional to reassemble it one final time.

The final hurdle was getting paid. The art retailer that it sold through refused to send the money through. Not only did a lot of work go into creating and shipping this artwork, but it was the highest selling artwork I’ve ever sold. After much back and forth they did eventually agree to release the money, but I now no longer work with the company. Despite the trouble, I am pleased The Matador And The Stumbling Bull found its forever home — wherever that is!

Find more of my work at: www.paintingsandprints.co.uk