Monday, December 27, 2010

Taking Care of What Santa Brought (Your Original Oil Painting)

Christmas Remains, Photo © Toni Ruppert
Santa did good.  Your new original oil painting arrived in time for Christmas.  It was created on quality, fine-art canvas.  Your painting should last for generations with it's original craftsmanship.  To assure this, reasonable care should be taken to protect it as you would any article of value.  Here are my 5 Top Care Recommendations:


1. Protect your oil painting.
Protect your painting from environmental damage like smoke and air pollution. You may have seen before and after images of oil paintings that have been cleaned.  Eliminate any smoking near your oil painting, and limit the use of candles and incense near it. You may prefer to hang it outside of direct sunlight and ultra-violet exposure.

2. Dusting is OK.
Dust your painting regularly. Do not spray anything (like Pledge) on the work. A soft brush, like a paintbrush, may be used to dust paintings. You can also dust with a soft, dry cloth. Additionally, you can keep artwork dust free by using a low power vacuum with a hose and brush attached.

3. Take care when transporting.
When transporting your painting, lay a flat piece of cardboard, mat board or similar firm material over the front and back surfaces.  For extra protection, wrap it in bubble wrap or styrofoam wrap.  Try not to keep it wrapped up for too long because might cause damaging moisture buildup.  Fedex Office carries a medium and large box especially made for shipping/ transporting art.

4. Beware of sharp objects.
Never lean the front or back of a stretched canvas on a pointed or sharp object, no matter how small. This will leave a dent that will mar your work. If you want to lean it against something, lean it on the wood of its stretcher bars so that nothing presses against the actual canvas.

5. Properly frame your oil painting. 
Be sure your oil painting is properly framed.  Oil paintings must be framed without glass. The framing serves to accent and complete the painting and cover the edges of the canvas.  You might need a frame with a large rabbet depth to accommodate large canvas stretchers.  I recommend the online store-- pictureframes.com for their excellent selection and customer service.

Framing Art, Photo © Toni Ruppert

These 5 recommendations are essential when caring for your new original oil painting.

Finally, if the work must change owners, the artist who created the work would probably appreciate being contacted.  She would love knowing of the painting’s whereabouts so she can update the work's provenance records.

Feel free to leave any further questions in the comments. 

The holidays are almost over here, yet with the proper care of your original oil painting--your purchase will last for generations to come. 

6 comments:

Melanie Jongsma said...

Hey, nice post Toni! You often blog about the creative process, which is nice, but it's also interesting to think about some of the logistical details of owning a work of art. Thanks for sharing these tips!

Vanessa said...

Nice post Toni. I find a lot of buyers/customers don't always know how best to take care of an original painting so they definitely appreciate the tips. Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for your comments.

@Melanie--I saw art being sold this season--and I hoped this would help. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

@Vanessa--so good to hear from you. It is my hope that these tips come in handy. My holiday was good. I hope yours was Hallmark perfect.

Susan Tantlinger said...

Helpful post, Toni. Good job!

Denise Bellon West said...

Hi Toni. Great information. I'll add 2 things.
1. I often take a damp cloth and wipe my oil paintings - sometimes the feather duster just can't get it all!
2. If someone buys a relatively new oil painting of mine, I tell them to contact me for final varnishing after the painting has dried for 6 months.
Here's to a FABULOUS New Year!

Unknown said...

Susan--thank you!

Denise--those are two good points! Thank you.