One of the aspects that makes paintings lush and compelling is the use of impasto, or the sculptural build up of paint to build texture. Yet as beautiful as this is it can complicate the cleaning and varnish removal process as the nooks and crannies often hold onto varnish or grime that cotton swabs can’t reach. In those instances a stiff bristle bush may be of use yet that too can be ineffective at times. In those instances we break out the dental tools and manually extract the embedded material. It’s slow going and tedious but sometimes necessary. On small paintings it may only require an hour of work, on large paintings that effort grows exponentially. Every time I have to do this my appreciation for my dentist and hygienist grows... so brush often and floss! 😁🦷 
Without a doubt one of the more filthy paintings I’ve cleaned in some time. Head over to YouTube to watch this piece come clean! 
Of course we knew that this beautiful portrait had a yellowed varnish atop the paint layer but what was a bit surprising was all of the discolored retouching that we found. I suspect that the retouching was done atop the discolored varnish and a second coat of varnish applied afterward. The problem with retouching to an uncleaned/discolored varnish is that once the painting is cleaned or the varnish removed the retouching looks pretty bad. With it removed we see that it wasn’t actually necessary and that the portrait looks pretty good. A new UV-stable varnish applied atop the painting will not only make it look richer and more vibrant but will also protect it from the environment and UV light. Whoa, this was post 1000. Not sure if that’s a lot or not but it feels like a long road for sure! Hang on through the weened and there might be something waiting for y’all on Monday (Sunday for Patreons 😄) 
Some new toys to play with. I’m always looking to expand the type and style of videos that I’m shooting and this should be a fun departure from the normal offerings. 🤞 
The right tools for the right job. When I built my clamping table even though I had been thinking about it for nearly a decade, it was prompted by a single project; the large Dutch portrait on a split panel. I knew that it would be a useful tool but I was surprised at how useful it has become. I have probably used it no fewer than 15 or 20 times, perhaps more, since building it and every time it facilitates a smooth re-joining of split panels with precision and no stress. Of course, now having put it through its paces I can see all of the things that need improvement or modification to make it an even better tool. There’s a fine balance between perfect and good and sometimes perfect becomes the enemy of good. Suffice it to say that this machine is good though not perfect. That said, I have no intention of tearing it down and rebuilding it… Yet 😜 
Let’s wrap this baby up! Head over to YouTube to see the final installment of the conservation of this mysterious portrait that started off as prince George and turned into general Hamilton. 
When all you want to do is rip down a piece of wood for a frame your modifying to fit a painting you’re conserving for your client and filming for YouTube. Ugh. I love my @sawstopsaws for the peace of mind and safety they provide and wouldn’t change to another brand. That said, when they misfire for no reason it’s super disappointing. Not only do you lose a $100 cartridge but also. $100 blade. The second photo shows the spot where the saw fired- no nails, no metal, no nothing save for soft pine. Grr. Good news is that I have extra blades and cartridges but super bummer. 
Remember the last video where I didn’t actually do any work on the painting well today’s offering changes that and I dive headfirst into disassembling and reversing all of the old work done on this wonderful portrait. Head over to my YouTube channel to see me actually do some work work 
Pulling out some fun toys during some filming of my current project. This is totally unrelated to any actual art conservation but it’s a fun distraction and keeps me engage during some of the long filming sessions. The second video in this three part series will be coming out on Monday morning, unless you’re a Patreon member in which case you’ll get it Sunday without ads or sponsorships