Paintings are unique and precious creations that require some care, like for everything you love.
Buying a painting is an exciting and joyful experience that allows you to bring the artistic creation you feel connected with straight into your home where, hopefully, it will keep providing lifelong pleasure.
Does it always automatically happen? Well, it depends on how much care you are going to exercise.
After bringing your new painting at home, in fact, you will decide where to hang it and the frame you want it to have.
If you stop and think about it, these two simple arrangements represent the beginning of your care of it!
The choices you make at this particular moment, in fact, are really crucial to establish the beginning of a healthy and good future for your artwork.
As a painter, I love providing not only paintings that speak to you but that can last over time too.
This is why, in this article I am going to share with you some practical and useful recommendations to help you to keep your paintings in pristine conditions as long as possible.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR PAINTINGS IN GOOD HEALTH
✅ FRAMING
First of all, I strongly recommend to have your paintings properly framed, as it helps to keep them in shape and physically protected.
Furthermore, watercolours, pencil drawings, pastels and charcoals also need a protective glass in front, in order to avoid that moisture or a direct contact can spoil and damage them. Don't worry, professional framers always provide you this knowledge through perfectly done and professional services.
✅ PLACING
After having them framed, it important to position them on a suitable wall.
What does this mean?
Well, as paintings are made of particular pigments, binders and solvents used on specific surfaces, it is really crucial to avoid placing them in a too hot/too cold area of your room or where the temperature excursion can be extreme.
So, avoid hanging them directly near radiators, fires, heaters, hot water/central heating pipes or in rooms with open fires, air conditioners or where people smoke (smoke and nicotine can quickly accumulate and obscure the painting surface) and avoid damp or too dry environments. Instead, go for ventilated walls with constant and homogeneous temperature.
It is also a good practice not to hang them in direct constant light, as it would have a fade effect on the surface over time. Prefer, instead, indirect sunlight, recessed lighting, and halogen lights.
Furthermore, choose to hang them in areas where they are not easily knocked into and subjected to splashes and splatters of any kind. Therefore, do not spray air fresheners or perfumes nearby.
Why do I say so?
Simply because the paint and the surface used by the artist are actually made of components whose consistency and quality is influenced at different degrees by temperature, light, touch, liquids and so on.
Oil paintings, for instance, take from six to twelve or more months to be completely dry and exposing them to adverse conditions would irremediably compromise the drying process and so the paint durability.
So, considering where to hang your paintings should not be underestimated!
✅ KEEPING THEM CLEAN
Like anything else you have indoors on your walls or in display on shelves and furniture, with time paintings collect dust and general pollution.
So, how can you keep them clean and in good conditions?
In order to answer this question, first let me give you some IMPORTANT INFORMATION about my paintings.
Before shipping any of my paintings to you, I make them ready and protected.
This means that:
with watercolours I simply handle them with care, avoiding to directly touch them on the painted surface and I wrap them in non-acid paper to keep them safer. So, when you receive the painting it will need to go straight under glass in order to be hung;
with acrylics I apply three coats of varnish and I ship them only after a couple of days, when they are completely dry. In this way the painted surface is protected by dust and pollution and you can handle them in total peace of mind;
with oils, instead, I apply a coat of temporary varnish (also know as retouch or gallery varnish), because the paint is not dry yet and this particular kind of varnish, applied when the paint is touch-dry, let me protect from unwanted touches, dust and pollution and at the same time it allows the paint to breath and so to dry over time.
Furthermore, I must also REMIND YOU that:
1. the less you touch a painting, the better!
2. if a painting shows signs of cracks, discolouration, flaking paint or warping, it would be better to bring it to a professional restorer!
Now, after all these important points in mind, I can answer the previous question by saying that you need to apply different kind of care according to the medium of the painting.
>> WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS (always behind glass!) <<
The frame and the glass only of these paintings can be dusted more frequently than other no glass-protected artworks, and this must happen with a dry lint cloth that doesn't damage the painting surface in any way.
>> ACRYLIC PAINTINGS <<
They should be dusted infrequently, let's say about every four months, with a very clean soft dry brush or dry lint cloth. In this way you can preserve the surface from any damage. Don’t use feather dusters or dust cloths as they may scratch the painting surface.
>> OIL PAINTINGS <<
They also should be dusted infrequently with a very clean soft dry brush or dry clean lint cloth. Do not use damp clothes or cleaning chemicals as this would damage the paint.
If you ever need your oil painting to be professionally cleaned, then the temporary varnish I use can be removed by a professional and then replaced without any disturb for the painting. A final varnish coat can be applied over the temporary one I always apply.
❇️ A TIP FOR BRUSHING ACRYLIC AND OIL PAINTINGS
For keeping your acrylics and oils cleaned and dusted, I recommend to touch them as less as possible and dust them only occasionally with a clean, dry and very soft brush.
The latter should be used very delicately, without pressure, from the top to the bottom of the painting and vice versa. In this way you can safely remove all the dust caught by the paint.
See the video below 👇
➡️ Please note that for demonstration purposes only, in this video I am brushing an unframed painting but you do not need to remove the frame of your artwork to do this job.
🟩 SUMMARY
When you care of your paintings it means you are doing all your best to preserve them in good conditions for the time to come, in order to prolong the pleasure they bring into your life.
This means that it is advisable to:
have your paintings professionally framed;
position them in safe place with a uniform, non-extreme room temperature and in an indirect light;
keep them clean with gentle care;
bring them to a professional restorer if your see sign of damage.
These are simple but important aspects for you to have in mind when your passion for art goes beyond a general appreciation.
✅ If you think this article has been useful to you, like it and share it to help more people to take care of their paintings in the best possible way.
💬 For any question, instead, leave a message below in the comments and I will be more than happy to answer you.
Take care of yourself and your paintings!
Valentina.
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