Conservation Tips That Minimize The Need For Art Restoration New Jersey Professionals Offer

By Timothy Taylor


If you are someone experienced with collecting good artwork, you know how fragile the pieces can be. Unless they are meticulously cared for, they can suffer serious and, sometimes, irreparable damage. Although restoring damaged work is possible, it is easier and less expensive to use simple measures to preserve their integrity. Professional conservators and restorers agree that understanding conservation can minimize the need for the kind of art restoration New Jersey artisans provide.

It's important to keep other materials from coming in contact with artwork created on paper. This includes gluing or taping a mat to the front of a watercolor or dry gouache piece. Mats should be hinged to back mats. The mat material itself needs to have an alkaline Ph or neutral content. Hanging artwork in areas where they are exposed to direct sunlight will eventually ruin them.

If you decide to store a paper artwork, you should never put it someplace where it can be exposed to damp conditions, such as a basement. The piece may get mold, buckle, and eventually begin to disintegrate. By contrast, storing paper artwork in attics, where the temperature fluctuates and can be very dry, could cause the work to contract and make it susceptible to tearing.

Oil and acrylic on canvas are generally sturdier than artwork on paper, but a lot of the same rules apply. Direct sunlight will cause paint to fade. Since these works are not preserved behind glass, dust and dirt can become ingrained in the canvas. It is usually a good idea to leave paintings in their original frames. You may not like the style, but if it is what the artist chose, there was a reason for it.

Unless a painting is carefully hung, it can fall and be easily damaged. Torn canvas can be repaired, but it may be difficult and costly. A good framer will attach wire to the back of the frame with d-rings. Cheaper, standard frames may have string, twine, or metal pieces, on the backing, meant to keep the work on a wall. These do not work as well as wire.

Collectors of textiles know how easily they can be damaged if they are left in direct sunlight. Even with protective UV glass, harsh light will damage the work. It is best to hang textiles in rooms with low light. Storing them in wooden chests or cardboard boxes is a bad idea. Wood, of any kind, can stain them and cause irreparable damage.

If you collect free standing artwork, you are probably already aware that they are susceptible to being knocked over. A sturdy base will help correct this problem. You might also display these works in areas with enough room for them and family members to co-habit easily.

Art collectors usually know how to preserve their pieces. Sometimes they find great work they are willing to have restored however. Once that process is complete, conserving them for future generations can begin.




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