Guy Downing Art Restoration
Restoration of an Oil Painting
Article by Guy Downing
October, 2003
This painting "Grand View of Yosemite" oil on canvas, anonymous, circa 1890, as brought to me by a client in July 2001. It had been found in an old hotel in the gold country of California.
These photos show the condition of the painting when it arrived. It had loss of paint from water dripping from the top, rotting and canvas loss on all edges, and extreme staining from coal oil heating, tobacco smoke, and water soluble dirt brought with water leaks. There was paint loss and separation from the canvas and surface abrasion from improper handling and being rolled.
To begin the restoration process, I lined this painting on a new canvas using a bees wax composition, and then cleaned the painting with a variety of chemicals, depending on the type of stains
The next two pictures show the painting on a new canvas (lined) but the cleaning process not yet begun.
The painting had a number of areas where paint was missing. These holes are caused by the canvas losing its adhesiveness to the oil paint due to water damage. These areas are filled with a visible whiting material which contains a special adhesive. These filled areas are then sealed and in-painted to match exactly their surroundings.
The painting is then varnished and one can see the uniformity of the surface and how undetectable the touch ups are.
I then made a frame befitting the period and style of the painting. Using carved composition corners gives the frame its true hand finished quality. Note - my studio provides "new" old frames as well as an archive of some vintage frames for pictures in need. Our frame styles range from the oldest, to the most contemporary American, European and Asian influence.
My trusty assistant, Pierre
Copyright©2007 Guy Downing Art Restoration