Mural Removal – Hyde Park Mural Project in London, England

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins

Scott M. Haskins is an expert mural restorer/conservator: Just got a call from an organization to save an important mural from demolition in London, England. They’ve asked me to be the trouble shooter for the removal of the mural from a building about to be demolished in Hyde Park. The reason they call me is because not only do they want it removed… they want it removed safely and according to art conservation standards.

I’m not sure if I’m just going just to do some tests and present my findings at a meeting or if I’ll be there for a couple of weeks, to stand in front of the wreaking ball and get the mural off the wall!

Depart tomorrow, Wed. Meeting the afternoon, on Thurs. Stay tuned… I’ll be reporting in. Here’s what the mural looks like:

Lo Scopo Della Vita

The Purpose of Life – World’s Fair 1964 in New York City

 

Continuing story below:

I got the call on Tues. in Santa Barbara, CA to be in London, England for a Thurs morning meeting. I got there on time and they asked me to inspect the mural. After about 30 minutes of looking around I determined that the mural could be removed safely.

“OK, then, get it off!” they said. “When?” I asked… “Now. The wrecking ball comes in on Monday morning”! “Now? I don’t have equipment, supplies, a hotel reservation… I have my return flight this evening!” “Well, if you want it off, this is your chance.”

So, here’s the video of taking it off the wall:

Interesting development!
Because of this blog post and the video, we got a call from a private party in Sacramento California who said that they had been in the vicinity of the renovation of a visitor’s center on Temple Square. They happened upon the debris being thrown away and discovered that there was a painting rolled up in the trash! They unrolled it,partly, and found that it was a version of the above mural, The Purpose of Life by the same artist, but it was an Asian version according to the demographics in that region. They saved the mural and brought it back home from Hawaii where they put it into storage for many many years. The phone call to me was whether we would like to have the mural and preserve and restore it for the same corporation that has the above mural. Long story short, the Asian version ended up going to the same organization and location as the above version. Given the popularity of the subject matter, we assume that the Asian version was painted afterwards but close to, the 1964 date. Here is the image of this wonderful painting. Notice that the sequence of the mural reads from right to left, opposite of the mural mentioned above:

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Antique Oil Painting of Old Time Circus Requires Tricks for Cleaning

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Scott M. Haskins

 

I want to show this picture partly because its a very interesting painting and partly because you might enjoy hearing about kind of a strange way of cleaning a painting. Cleaning is part of the art conservation/restoration process but it is usually not an essential part of the preservation process. In other words, a yellow varnish is usually not the cause of a painting falling a part. But, it can be, or course, the reason the painting doesn’t look anything like what it did originally. A dirty painting surface can have a huge affect on the aesthetics… and art is all about aesthetics, right? Don’t agree? Leave a comment…



Hard varnish results in not the usual cleaning techniques

Cleaning a painting - Hard varnish results in not the usual cleaning techniques



When we estimate a cleaning, we do special tests to see what dissolves the varnish or grime or whatever (the variety of types of layers we find are many!) and make sure that those solvents DON’T dissolve the original paint… at all! We’ll sometimes, we’re suprised to find a varnish that won’t dissolve!

This very cool 19th century painting of a European circus had been cleaned before but, it seemed obvious, that the previous restorer simply wiped the surface and gave it new varnish because he did not try and remove the yellow varnish… which is very hard.

In fact, it took a fairly exotic recipe for a gel to get the varnish to move. But the problem was that the gel was too strong for the removal of the varnish in areas of dark paint; the dark colors were sensitive. Turns out that we had to break or scratch off the hard varnish instead of dissolving it. Turns out too that the dark areas of paint seemed kind of “cloudy.” So the removal of the varnish allowed the dark colors to really saturate and get a deep color when we applied the new varnish. The transformation was gorgeous.

If you are not “into” looking at paintings, this is probably boring stuff. But its really good info for painting collectors and curators who wonder about the in’s and out’s of estimating the cleaning of paintings.

Just to show you that this wasn’t a freak case, here’s another case that’s in the lab right now: A German painting of lovers from which the varnish came off in large scales and flakes as we broke it off the surface.



Hard varnish flakes off. What is it?

This varnish could not be dissolved.



Was this a "permanent varnish?"

Was this varnish meant to be so hard that it would be a "permanent" varnish? "Permanent" anything in art conservation is NOT a good idea.


So, how long does it take to clean an oil painting? How much does it cost to clean an oil painting? Both questions that I hope you can see is not a question to be answered without testing and experience.

Have a question? Call Scott 805 564 3438 or best_artdoc@yahoo.com

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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

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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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Conservation questions? Call Scott at 805 564 3438

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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



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

Appraisal Questions? Call Richard Holgate 805 895 5121

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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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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

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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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