• This is a prime, if a bit hard to see example of why we no longer use oil paint for retouching. As the oil in oil paint oxidizes and cross links over time and is exposed to oxygen and uv light it can darken. We don’t seem to notice this with a whole painting because it happens slowly and to the entire painting, not just one color or section. But with retouching it can be much clearer. In the first photo you can see a lot of dark spots and blotches on the sitter’s face. This is all old retouching that at one point probably matched the original color quite well but over time darkened. Another unfortunate occurrence is that as the oils age they become harder to remove until they are part of the original painting. This retouching was added so long ago that it’s not possible to safely remove it. So the only recourse we have is to retouch over it so that the dark spots disappear and the image is fully integrated. By using reversible retouching paints with UV stable resins and UV stable varnishes we can avoid this situation all together. 😁
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    This is a prime, if a bit hard to see example of why we no longer use oil paint for retouching. As the oil in oil paint oxidizes and cross links over time and is exposed to oxygen and uv light it can darken. We don’t seem to notice this with a whole painting because it happens slowly and to the entire painting, not just one color or section. But with retouching it can be much clearer. In the first photo you can see a lot of dark spots and blotches on the sitter’s face. This is all old retouching that at one point probably matched the original color quite well but over time darkened. Another unfortunate occurrence is that as the oils age they become harder to remove until they are part of the original painting. This retouching was added so long ago that it’s not possible to safely remove it. So the only recourse we have is to retouch over it so that the dark spots disappear and the image is fully integrated. By using reversible retouching paints with UV stable resins and UV stable varnishes we can avoid this situation all together. 😁
  • Not to be outdone by the gentlemen, another before and after, this time of Countess Anne de La Farge. This one was structurally in worse condition with a few tears and a clean slice through the canvas. The changes in the colors were more subtle but the cleaning did have an appreciable effect. Most importantly the piece can now be viewed as the artist intended and the client can know that it’s in as good of a condition as it’s ever been and provided it’s well cared for won’t need any conservation work for a good 50-60 years or longer!
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    Not to be outdone by the gentlemen, another before and after, this time of Countess Anne de La Farge. This one was structurally in worse condition with a few tears and a clean slice through the canvas. The changes in the colors were more subtle but the cleaning did have an appreciable effect. Most importantly the piece can now be viewed as the artist intended and the client can know that it’s in as good of a condition as it’s ever been and provided it’s well cared for won’t need any conservation work for a good 50-60 years or longer!
  • A before and after of the conservation of a portrait of a gentleman. There wasn’t anything particularly difficult or novel about this project but sometimes that a-ok with me and simply cleaning and tending to the damage is worth it in and of itself.
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    A before and after of the conservation of a portrait of a gentleman. There wasn’t anything particularly difficult or novel about this project but sometimes that a-ok with me and simply cleaning and tending to the damage is worth it in and of itself.
  • At some point in the past when this painting started cracking someone had the bright idea to “seal” it so that no paint would be lost. A quick trip to the hardware store for some of that “P” word stuff and problem solved; the painting was “sealed” and it looked shiny too! Fast forward many years later and clearly the “sealing” (which is not a thing, BTW) didn’t work as the paint flaked and the coating browned. Now it’s my turn to make all of this right. The good news is that I can remove it and underneath it looks like we have something pretty spectacular!
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    At some point in the past when this painting started cracking someone had the bright idea to “seal” it so that no paint would be lost. A quick trip to the hardware store for some of that “P” word stuff and problem solved; the painting was “sealed” and it looked shiny too! Fast forward many years later and clearly the “sealing” (which is not a thing, BTW) didn’t work as the paint flaked and the coating browned. Now it’s my turn to make all of this right. The good news is that I can remove it and underneath it looks like we have something pretty spectacular!
  • I love seeing repeat clients, repeat patients, not so much. While I truly love working with artwork, having to revisit a piece that I’ve completed just isn’t much fun; I’m not excited about the piece or the potential outcome, I don’t really like undoing all my hard work just to have to do it again and of course it’s not fun to have to charge a client again (this isn’t an ice cream shop where if you drop your cone outside you can get a new one for free...) unfortunately in the process of being packed for shipment this piece suffered a pretty bad impact and will have to be lined. The canvas is pretty torn up in multiple places and none of the tears are simple so bridging isn’t an option. Worst of all- this has to be a rush to meet an auction deadline. Oh well...
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    I love seeing repeat clients, repeat patients, not so much. While I truly love working with artwork, having to revisit a piece that I’ve completed just isn’t much fun; I’m not excited about the piece or the potential outcome, I don’t really like undoing all my hard work just to have to do it again and of course it’s not fun to have to charge a client again (this isn’t an ice cream shop where if you drop your cone outside you can get a new one for free...) unfortunately in the process of being packed for shipment this piece suffered a pretty bad impact and will have to be lined. The canvas is pretty torn up in multiple places and none of the tears are simple so bridging isn’t an option. Worst of all- this has to be a rush to meet an auction deadline. Oh well...
  • You know when an overseas crate arrives with a security tag it’s going to be important. Can’t crack this one open just yet as I’m waiting on the agents and other associated parties to arrive at the studio. It sounds silly but sometimes it’s important for chain of custody for witnesses to be present when a crate is opened. Not only for validation that the contents are correct but also to inspect the work and verify the condition. Then my work can begin. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to share this project but this may be the extent of that. Some projects come with confidentially agreements and NDAs...🤷‍♂️
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    You know when an overseas crate arrives with a security tag it’s going to be important. Can’t crack this one open just yet as I’m waiting on the agents and other associated parties to arrive at the studio. It sounds silly but sometimes it’s important for chain of custody for witnesses to be present when a crate is opened. Not only for validation that the contents are correct but also to inspect the work and verify the condition. Then my work can begin. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to share this project but this may be the extent of that. Some projects come with confidentially agreements and NDAs...🤷‍♂️
  • A new video is up on YouTube if you were interested. 🤷‍♂️
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    A new video is up on YouTube if you were interested. 🤷‍♂️
  • Another before and after this morning. This piece attributed to El Greco’s studio was last conserved in the 40’s or around then based on the materials and techniques. The conservation was good for the time however the materials had begun to fail and the techniques were outdated. The glue lining was beginning to detach and the painting was yellowed. The retouching was executed in oil but atop a layer of natural resin varnish. This was both good and bad; good in that it made removing the otherwise non-reversible oil paint possible as the underlying varnish layer could be broken down, but bad in that the varnish layer had darkened and needed to be removed and when it was all of the retouching came off as well. I mention that as bad because the retouching was fine and I’m not really interested in redoing fine work just because; it may seem like I’m a masochist but I’m really not. But wow, did I find some damage! Putting the painting back together took forever- scraping glue and mountains of retouching seemed to never end but like all things they did and the effort was well worth it, no? First photo is as it arrived, second is cleaned and ready for retouching, third is all complete.
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    Another before and after this morning. This piece attributed to El Greco’s studio was last conserved in the 40’s or around then based on the materials and techniques. The conservation was good for the time however the materials had begun to fail and the techniques were outdated. The glue lining was beginning to detach and the painting was yellowed. The retouching was executed in oil but atop a layer of natural resin varnish. This was both good and bad; good in that it made removing the otherwise non-reversible oil paint possible as the underlying varnish layer could be broken down, but bad in that the varnish layer had darkened and needed to be removed and when it was all of the retouching came off as well. I mention that as bad because the retouching was fine and I’m not really interested in redoing fine work just because; it may seem like I’m a masochist but I’m really not. But wow, did I find some damage! Putting the painting back together took forever- scraping glue and mountains of retouching seemed to never end but like all things they did and the effort was well worth it, no? First photo is as it arrived, second is cleaned and ready for retouching, third is all complete.
  • Yes, I’ve been quiet all week on social media but that usually means I’ve been super busy at work doing, well, my actual job! Deep into editing Monday’s video and some other projects, hustling to get paintings back to clients and trying to avoid the siren song of the partially dismantled Porsche sitting in the back. Anyhow, a Nicole little before and after of a gentleman soldier. This was a real bear as it had been coated with something that was almost wholly resistant to every solvent, gel, detergent, surfactant, enzyme, soap, and solution in my studio. I had to break out some seriously big guns to break the coating down but in the end it was well worth it as you can clearly see.
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    Yes, I’ve been quiet all week on social media but that usually means I’ve been super busy at work doing, well, my actual job! Deep into editing Monday’s video and some other projects, hustling to get paintings back to clients and trying to avoid the siren song of the partially dismantled Porsche sitting in the back. Anyhow, a Nicole little before and after of a gentleman soldier. This was a real bear as it had been coated with something that was almost wholly resistant to every solvent, gel, detergent, surfactant, enzyme, soap, and solution in my studio. I had to break out some seriously big guns to break the coating down but in the end it was well worth it as you can clearly see.