Armin Hansen Paintings From The Monterey Museum of Art – Video on Cleaning Armin Hansen’s Paintings

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins



Men of the Sea By Armin Hansen

Men of the Sea by Armin Hansen


We had the wonderful opportunity to clean two of Armin Hansen’s masterpieces from the collection of the Monterey Museum of Art because we had the lovely recommendation to the museum by Terry and Paula Trotter of Trotter Galleries in Carmel. Thank you everyone for your confidence and trust!


“Nino” and “Men of the Sea” are two very large canvases (for Armin Hansen) that needed a serious face lift due to discolored varnishes. A very common question that I am asked over the phone is, “How much does it cost to clean a painting?” This video is an interesting example of why that question is impossible to answer without actually seeing and testing the cleaning process on the actual painting. You would think that an educated guess would be possible for me to make after 35 years in this professional art conservation field! But, I’m still testing paintings before I estimate… and here’s why…

One of the paintings in this video has a linseed oil varnish on it which is about 3 times harder than a “regular” varnish to dissolve safely.

The other painting in this video had a Urathane varnish (or boat lacquer) that you CAN’T dissolve! It has to be swollen and then removed.

So, as you can guess, neither was a “run of the mill” cleaning. Each was 3-5 times more expensive than a “regular” cleaning.

When cleaning a painting, our guiding light is the safe removal of grime, varnishes etc. In other words, what solvent combined with special technique removes the top stuff without dissolving the original paint. We NEVER dissolve original paint. But you can believe some of the horror stories we see come into the lab!

Anyway, enjoy the video!

Art conservation and restoration questions? Call Scott at 805 564 3438 or email at best_artdoc@yahoo.com

Art appraisal questions? Call Richard at 806 895 5121

Please give our video a THUMBS UP and leave a comment!

See the Monterey Museum of Art Website at: http://www.montereyart.org

See Trotter Galleries Website at: http://www.trottergalleries.com


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UV Black light Tips for Revealing Secrets of Inpainting (Retouchings) on Paintings

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins

Here’s a very useful tip for art collectors who use a black light. Using a blacklight is part of your investing survival techniques and technology! Everyone should use a black light when inspecting and evaluating art and antiques.

This painting is leaving the lab today, after we repaired a rip in the center of the painting. It poses an interesting uv light inspection problem though… its a night scene.


Retouching shoing up with a blacklight

New inpainting/retouchings show up bright with a UV black light



As you can see in the photo, even though its been cleaned, it still glows green. That’s because night scenes have lots of varnish usually in the paint. So, if you see a night scene glowing green when you shine your black light on it, it MAY not be because of old varnish!

One good thing about this though; the green glow makes it easier to pick out inpainting or retouchings. And this photo is a great example:

Note the purple nature of the composition of the painting. How do you tell the difference between a purple glowing original detail and the same purpleness of a retouching? Look to see if the purple color pattern follows the painting’s compositional details. If it cuts through details of the painting, its surely a repair… as in this painting.

Also note the careful exact way this inpainting was done. It was done with a small brush. That’s a hint that the conservation work/restoration work was conscientiously done.

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For more info on black lights, tips and fun videos, go to www.tipsforartcollectors.org/blacklight-package

Conservation questions? Call Scott at 805 564 3438

Appraisal questions? Call Richard at 805 895 5121

See YouTube Channel “bestartdoc”

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Art Restoration/Conservation – Sneak Peak In The Lab This Week

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins

Here’s a couple of pictures of art conservation treatments in the lab this week:

Large paintings need special handling to make sure the paint is not stressed:

Large paintings on large diameter rolls

and… doing structural work on two paintings. The closest one needed previous restorations removed and then a new  “lining” to correct and stabilize cracking. The second did not require undoing previous restorations but needed a consolidation and warmth to stabilize flaking.

Oriana Montemurro Working on two paintings



Please give this blog post a Thumbs UP if you find it interesting.

See some of our cool videos on YouTube at our channel “bestartdoc”

Conservation questions? Call Scott Haskins 805 564 3438

Fine appraisal questions? Call Richard Holgate at 805 895 5121

Are you an art collector? Go to www.tipsforartcollectors.org/blacklinght-package

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Mold on Watercolor by Edouard Vysekal with an interesting story

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins

Edouard Antonin Vysekal (Czechoslovakia, Hora, 1890 – 1939)

Edouard Vysekal’s watercolor with mold is one of those art conservation stories that’s particularly interesting to art collectors:  I was called one day by to look at a framed watercolor that had mold on it. Turns out that the lady who called was the 84 year old niece of the Edouard Vysekal, a well know California artist for whom an exhibition is being organized, right now (more on that further down in the article).


Preparatory watercolor for oil done in 1929

The watercolor is a preparatory drawing that the 84 year old niece sat for when she was 2 years old in 1929, holding “Uncle Edouard’s favorite cat.

Mold on matting and watercolor

Mold on matting and UL corner of watercolor

The mold was quite active but only growing on the upper left area of the matt and on the watercolor. Still quite tame but critical to get under control (code for “removal – clean – stabilize”). So, in the lab, we got rid of the old moldy matt, kept the original frame (cleaned it thoroughly), cleaned and killed the mold with solvents, deacidified the good quality watercolor paper and reframed it with a new acid free buffered matt. Nothing too extensive… $350.00 worth of effort, all complete with pick up and delivery to the house.

The sitter for the painting, 82 years ago

The subject of the painting, 82 years ago.

Here’s a nice picture of the 84 year old niece today. Notice the self-portrait of “Uncle Edouard” with his cat behind her. And here’s a photo of the final oil (we didn’t work on this, even though the colors would improve with cleaning) that Vysekal did from his preparatory watercolor.

Oil painting of girl with cat by Edouard Vysekal

Oil painting of girl with cat by Edouard Vysekal

I think this is all interesting stuff: to see the sitter for the painting 82 years ago and to see the preparatory watercolor for the oil. It was fun to meet the niece and see what these paintings have meant to the family and to hear how loved “Uncle Eduard” was and I like seeing Vysekal’s cat in several of the paintings.

The Vysekal exhibition and publication are being curated by Marian Kovinick  and will be held at the Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA):

Love Never Fails: The Art of Edouard and Luvena Vysekal

September 18, 2011 – January 8, 2012

This exhibition brings together the work of two talented artists, the husband and wife team of Edouard and Luvena Vysekal, whom artist Arthur Millier described as, “diminutive, complementary and unfailingly energetic; inseparable in life, art and in newsprint.” Love Never Fails will focus on their distinctive artistic styles and how they became emblematic of modernism in a conservative art community, opening the door to an aesthetic taste for the avant-garde.

This exhibition is curated by Marian Yoshiki-Kovinick.

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For a video tour of Fine Art Conservation Laboratories, go to www.fineartconservationlab.com

For other interesting videos got to our YouTube Channel at “bestartdoc” http://www.youtube.com/user/bestartdoc?feature=mhee

For fun videos about what you can do at home see YouTube Channel “Preservationcoach” http://www.youtube.com/user/PreservationCoach?feature=mhee

Conservation Questions? Call Scott Haskins 805 564 3438     best_artdoc@yahoo.com

Appraisal Questions? Call Richard Holgate 805 895 5121

For very interesting instruction and videos about UV lights for collectors go to www.tipsforartcollectors.org/blacklight-package

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Painting by Minerva Teichert Glued to Plywood Removed- Why?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins



Minerva Teichert's Pioneers

Pioneers by Minerva Teichert



This wonderful painting on canvas by Minerva Teichert of Pioneers was glued down to plywood when it was last restored… and a poor job it was. Bubbles or detachments showed how unevenly and poorly it was attached. But here’s a question for you: Should paintings be glued down to plywood?… or Masonite?

Both plywood and Masonite are highly acidic materials and accelerate the embrittlement and deterioration of fabrics and paper. So, therefore, it is WAY not archival!

One of our first jobs is to get it safely off the plywood…


Art conservation treatments undo previous poor quality restorations

The roll is to avoid kinking the painting or stressing the paint layers



 



Dissecting the layers

Carefully separating the canvas from the plywood

More later on the update of the art conservation treatments… and maybe we’ll make a short video of the art restoration treatments. Stay in touch.

This painting normally hangs in the Museum of Church History and Art of the Mormon Church. It was painted by one of the most important early artists of LDS art.

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See some of our videos on Youtube at “bestartdoc”

Have art conservation questions? Call Scott Haskins 805 564 3438 best_artdoc@yahoo.com

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Ripped Painting – Is It Dirty Too?!

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins

Even though I look at 1000’s of paintings a year evaluating them for art conservation needs I’m still often surprised at how dirty a painting is. Its unexpected because the image and colors look so even. If something were “dirty” you’d think that you would see, well, crud and dirt. But you really can’t see HOW discolored, dirty, grimy a painting is until you get a test done.

This really great quality western art painting came in the lab after it was ripped/damaged in shipping. The client was stupefied to see the cleaning difference… and ecstatic! The cleaned painting was a vision, full of fabulous colors!

Dirty and Ripped Painting

Unexpected cleaning difference when brought in for rip repair

Posted in In Lab | 5 Comments

Naval Air Base Historic Mural To Be Saved

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins


Historic mural on Naval Air Base

The Spanish landing in the new world.



A week or so ago, I was asked to consult for the Naval Air Base in Fort Lauderdale Florida. They had 95 deg., 95 % humidity and forest fires that filled the air with smoke and ash. I was happy to leave!


They have a historic building infested with black mold that is going to be demolished and they need to know the “ins and outs” of getting an historic mural removed. A simple job= $15K… a difficult job=$275K. Why the difference?


Brittle paint and glued to the wall with lead white adhesive make this a very difficult removal job (to do it safely). But it can be done…


Historic Mural on Naval Air Base

This mural is 35' long.



Interesting post? Leave a comment!


Scott M. Haskins 805 564 3438


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Mural Conservation Work Begins On Jesus Biola Mural

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins

Work began last week on the art conservation aspects of preserving this mural, which is my part of this project. I did a video of this work you can see at https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/twitchell-biola-jesus-mural/ (its the 2nd video) . Meanwhile, Kent is in the studio mixing paint (see his testimonial about who helped him at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWtPDRg24Z0 … its the 3rd video) and getting ready to do his restoration work to make it look as good as new. We’ll shoot a video of that too.




Kent Twitchell and Scott Haskins

Scott Haskins and Kent Twitchell Examine Progress of Art Conservation Work on Jesus Mural


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Biola Jesus Mural Tested for Art Conservation Needs – Collaboration with Artist Kent Twitchell

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins

I met with Kent Twitchell at the end of last week and we looked over his mural at Biola University in La Mirada (Los Angeles), CA. Known as the Biola Jesus Mural, here is the video of our tests and conversations:

I’ll make another video next week about the first phase of treatment. Its a very cool project. Kent is great to work with.

Kent Twitchell's Jesus Mural at Biola

Kent Twitchell's Jesus Mural at Biola University

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Returning from Professional Art Conservation Organization – AIC National Meeting in Philadelphia

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins



Out for a good walk in Philadelphia




I’m just returning from the annual meeting of the national professional organization for art conservation: The American Institute for Conservation (AIC). Our profession includes art conservators/restorers, conservation scientists, art history/conservation students and specialized professionals with conservation backgrounds in areas like lighting, exhibits, shipping, research. You’d be surprised at how much art conservation studies contribute to art history. Professionals come from major museums, from historical societies and libraries and from the private sector. Highly esteemed professionals with great skills come from every venue and part of the country.

Perhaps you would also be surprised of all the specializations in professional conservation? The AIC has divisions or “Specialty Groups” that include: Paintings (paint on canvas, murals, panels, paper and on other items), paper and books (subdivided into art on paper and library materials), architectural conservation, textiles, objects (archeological materials, glass, ceramics, stone, leather, and other natural materials), wood and furniture, Scientific Technology/Research. Of course, within those specialties you find lots of sub-specializations and niches that people get into. The important thing that you will want to remember is that no one can know it all… its hard to be an expert, even, in more than one area!

One of the highlights was an exclusive evening reception at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You have to go there! What a place… and a GREAT collection is awaiting you.



Exterior of Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art




AIC asked me to blog/comment about a couple of the talks on the new AIC blog site at http://www.conservators-converse.org. As you can see on this blog, there were some interesting talks about some pretty “complicated” subjects. It was a good conference and I always enjoy reconnecting with associates and friends all around the world.

One of the functions of the organization is to set a standard of ethics and practices that conservation professionals adhere to. This is a major issue when dealing with professionals who will treat your possessions and you with respect. All public conservation contracts (government) require this adherence!



The only sculpture that Degas ever exhibited



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