Photo essay provided by
Weathersby Guild
36’ by 51” Oil on canvas art was
delivered to shipper with packing
material stuck to almost the entire
surface of the piece.
In addition, there was a 2” tear near
the top right of center edge which
partially invaded the area over the
supporting frame.
The piece was brought to the repair
studio still in the packing material.
Excision of packing
material
The packing material was stuck to the
oil and acrylic medium on practically
the entire surface of the piece.
An Exacto knife was used to coax the
packing material off the oil and acrylic
surface.
Excision of packing
material
The packing material was stuck to the
oil and acrylic medium on practically
the entire surface of the piece.
An Exacto knife was used to coax the
packing material off the oil and acrylic
surface.
Excision of packing
material
The packing material was stuck to the
oil and acrylic medium on practically
the entire surface of the piece.
An Exacto knife was used to coax the
packing material off the oil and acrylic
surface.
Excision of packing
material
Having removed the bulk of the
packing carton, there remained
extensive paper fiber damage to the
surface of the piece.
The fibers had become embedded in
the medium in microscopic to large
portion of the piece.
At this point, one might suggest that
there is a contributory cause situation
eliminating liability under the
provisions of inherent vice.
It is believed that this does not apply
because art works of this type are by
their nature soft and therefore subject
to this type damage and thus requiring
special attention.
A better question might be: does the
high value inventory apply?
Preparation for repair
The surface of the piece was carefully
examined to determine the severity of
the invasion of the fibers into the oil
and acrylic comprising the art.
If the fibers are deeply embedded, a
solvent more caustic than water would
be required. Fortunately, the “stuck”
fibers did not penetrate deeply and
could therefore be softened with
water and removed with careful
abrasion using cotton swabs and
dental tools.
Torn Surface
The most severe damage is a 2” tear in
the canvas.
The tear was made through the
surface front to back and traversed an
area with 3 or 4 colors.
Fortunately, there were no minute
details or facial features that would
require demanding in-painting.
Preparation for repairing
tear
Tears are typically repaired using 1 of 2
methods.
Severely damaged paintings with large
tears are restored by relining them.
This incorporates placing a wax
embedded substrate on the versa
(reverse side) of the piece. A heated
vacuum table is required for this
process.
Less severe damages and tears are
often repaired by placing a patch on
the versa thereby providing a support
for the repair.
Preparation for repairing
tear
The patch is accomplished by creating
a canvas or Japanese tissue sub-patch
which is attached to the versa over the
tear.
Preparation for repairing
tear
The patch is frayed on the extremities
so that there will be no hard edges
which might be detectable on the art
surface.
Preparation for repairing
tear
An adhesive which will not decompose
and is compatible with both the canvas
and medium is used to attach the
patch.
Preparation for repairing
tear
The adhesive is a heat cure resin which
is lightly and carefully heated to create
the bond. Obviously, the heating must
be carefully monitored and controlled
to preclude to the art.
Repair of the tear
The edges of the tear are probed to
insure that they are securely attached
to the tear.
If they are not, a non-heat cure
adhesive is applied to the voids.
Repairing the tear
For this repair, oil paint diluted with
Japan dryer was used to in-paint a
base color for the in-painting. At this
stage, water color is acceptable.
Repairing the tear
Molten Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (hot
glue) is used to fill the void above the
patch.
The EVA was chosen because it mimics
the flexibility of the oil and acrylic and
it also mimics the granular surface of
the piece.
Repairing the tear
The filled void is examined to
determine the quality of the patch. It
may be necessary to supplement the
voids with additional applications of
EVA.
In-painting the repair
In-painting in this instance was
relatively easy because of the freeform style of the applied oil and
acrylic.
A combination of Lamp Black, Payne's
Gray, Raw Sienna, and Cadmium Red
Hue were used to duplicate the theme
of the painting.
Restorers may “shy away” from
restorations of this type thinking that
they are not artists. In-painting is not
the same as creating original art. As
furniture repair technicians, we inpaint on finished wood every day.
In-painting
Once the in-painting process is
complete, the piece is viewed from all
directions to insure that the repair is
fully compatible with the hue (name of
the color), the sheen, and the feel of
the entire piece.
Finishing the repair
Once the in-painting is determined to
be within professional standards, the
entire piece receives a coat of varnish
Completed Repair
The oil and acrylic was returned to the
owner who was delighted with the
finished product.
The process did not require the use of
and cost of a third party restorer.