Useful Tips: Caring for Paintings and Artwork

CEBU, Philippines - Your fine art needs a soft touch.

Wondering how to keep your artwork in pristine condition? Be gentle with it. Paintings and sculptures should be dusted occasionally with a soft camel-hair or sable paintbrush. Don't use dust cloths or feather dusters, which can trap dirt particles and scratch the artwork.

Don't undo the master's strokes.

Resist the temptation to clean an oil or acrylic painting with any kind of cleaner or solvent, including linseed oil, sometimes rumored to be good for oil paintings. If your painting needs anything more than a dusting, take it to a professional. With a valuable painting, you'll save more in the long run by having it cleaned properly and safely. Call a local art museum or artists' supply store to find a person who cleans and restores paintings.

Protect your Picasso.

To keep the environment from creeping in and slowly spoiling an original painting, attach a protective backing board to the canvas stretcher (the wooden frame the canvas is stretched onto), not the picture frame. Archival-quality cardboard, which will not cause the painting to deteriorate, is available for this purpose. It will keep out dust and give the painting more stability if you need to move it or reframe it. The archival cardboard should be cut to the size of the stretcher to seal out dust and other dirt from your painting. You can get this cardboard at an art supply store or frame shop.

--- from Fix It, Clean It, And Make It Last

By The Editors of FC&A Publishing

(FC&A Publishing)