Over 30 years of Experience in the Conservation of Oil Paintings
A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE
Chris was brought up in the world of art from a child, several of his relatives being artists. His grandfather worked alongside Augustus John in his London studio for a number of years. Since attending Art College in Edinburgh, Chris has initiated a number of projects, including an Art Materials warehouse in Stroud alongside a Gallery and Studios for artists. His business (now sold on and thriving) also provided canvasses for renowned artists including Royal Academicians. He has a substantial knowledge of art materials, their mediums, pigments and their applications throughout history. He is now focussing solely on the conservation of oil and acrylic painting, together with the repair of their original frames in his fully equipped studio.
A complex number of issues with this mid 17th century portrait of an armoured man.
Some Common Problems
An oil painting may suffer with a number of issues as in the image of the armoured man. There is some substantial paint loss as well as raised flakes of unstable paint at risk of falling away. This can be caused by a damp enviroment, changes in temperature or as a result of the canvas and paint film expanding and contracting at different rates. Alternatively the artist themselves may not have given enough attention to preparing the ground or underpainting. The result is an emphasised craquelure or tenting where the flakes become brittle and are forced up against each other.
This can be resolved with injecting a reversible specialised heat sensitive adhesive behind the flakes. Then applying gentle heat to relax the paint film back to its original plane.
Some canvasses may have become weakened, creased or distorted and would benefit from re-tensioning. In the past complete re-lining was often undertaken by museums but modern research has questioned this, predicting uncontrolled stresses to the support. Strip lining is now preferred where the surrounds of the canvas are re-inforced from behind. This is achieved using strips of linen with an adhesive film applied with mild heat on a vacuum table.
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