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FRAMING INFORMATION
1st Art Gallery offers the option to receive your painting ready to hang or rolled in a tube.
Currently, for safety, we're able to ship framed paintings only up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached, the framing option is automatically disabled.
However, if you are interested in stretching or framing a painting larger than 24x36 inches (60x90 cm), please contact one of our customer success associates or let us know in your order notes. We will send you a catalog of our large framing styles and pricing options.
Unframed rolled canvas orders will arrive rolled inside a protective tube with an extra 1.5" white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it locally.


Winslow Homer concluded the monumental marine painting entitled Eight Bells in 1886, one of his best-known works. The scene depicts two sailors using instruments to determine the position their ship is. During this period, the artist wasn’t selling many of his paintings and had financial difficulties. He sold this artwork a year later for a low price and was the first artwork Homer had sold in more than three years. Because of this, he stopped producing oil paintings for a period, working more with watercolor painting instead. A year later he completed Eight Bells, Homer decided to make a black and white version of it in etching. The original painting was exhibited in 1888, and it was praised by the art critics.
While in Prouts Neck, Maine, the artist found some wooden panels in his brother’s sloop, which he took to produce a series of oil paintings. On the first two panels, Homer depicted seascapes in Prouts Neck with mackerel – one taking place at sunset and the other at dawn. The last panel portrayed a ship captain observing his octant (a measuring instrument used in navigation), painted in grisaille, or shades of gray. The third panel ended up becoming a study for Homer’s final masterpiece, Eight Bells. The artist had also done a watercolor study many years earlier during his trip to England with the same subject.
The title of this oil painting refers to the time system developed for sailors, in which a bell strung every thirty minutes. In the final work, Homer radically increased the size of the canvas and decided to include two figures. The ship is barely seen in the work, as he chose to construct a more modern and daring composition – possibly an influence of the Japanese art that went against the traditional standards known by western civilization. The sailors are facing the sea, each looking at their octant. Although the painter creatively changed the correct manner of using the instrument – as both should be looking into it just like the sailor on the left – he conveyed their deep concentration and skill in a breathtaking scene. The cloudy sky ranges from shades of gray, with ochre and brown hints, to off-white pigments and small areas of blue. The turbulent ocean was beautifully painted with varying pigments of blue-gray and white, contrasting with the overall brown colors of the sailors.
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Real Oil Paints, Real Brushes, Real Artists, Real Art. The Certificate of Authenticity which arrives with every painting provides an assurance and verifies the authenticity of the hand painted fine art reproduction you purchased. Each oil painting is created by hand using only the finest canvas and oil paints available.
Important Notes About Your Painting:
If you have any request to alter your reproduction of Eight Bells, you must email us after placing your order and we'll have an artist contact you. If you have another image of Eight Bells that you would like the artist to work from, please include it as an attachment. Otherwise, we will reproduce the above image for you exactly as it is.
- Ordered without a frame, it will be delivered in protective tube within 21-28 business days.
- When ordering the painting framed - allow additional 5-7 days for delivery. The painting will arrive ready to hang.
- Every painting is painted by an experienced artist.
- No printing or digital imaging techniques are used.
- 100% hand painted oil painting on artist grade canvas.
- Painting comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
- 365 days Money Back Guarantee.
- Enjoy Free Express Shipping.
- Hand crafted means unique to every owner. Each canvas reproduction may vary slightly in brush details due to the nature of being hand painted, so no two paintings are the same.
- For those customers who appreciate quality and want to own an artist's work as it was meant to be enjoyed we are here for you.

Free shipping is included in the price of the painting. Once the painting is ready and dry enough to ship, we will roll it and ship it in a sturdy cardboard tube.
We always ship express via courier to ensure your order reaches you as soon as possible - normally within three business days. The total delivery time from the moment you place your order until the package is delivered to your door is normally between three to four weeks.

If, in the unlikely event you were dissatisfied with the painting after reviewing it in person, it can be returned for a full refund for up to 365 days after delivery.
When you receive the painting; you are free to return it for more revisions or else for a full refund minus our actual shipping cost -- which is, on average, $35 per painting.

1st Art Gallery provides a full warranty covering manufacturing and material defects for paintings purchased from our website. The warranty covers damage for normal use. Damage caused by incidents such as accidents or inappropriate use are not covered.
Depending on the degree of damage to the warranted painting, it will either be repaired or replaced. This warranty service is provided free of charge.
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