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Preserving my grandmother's art
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Message
Posted
I have several paintings that my grandmother did many years ago - at least 20. They are acrylic on a canvas panel. They are currently framed without glass, but I noticed that the paint is chipping off of them so I thought I would buy them new frames with glass to preserve them. Is this a terrible idea? Will the glass cause more paint to chip off if I remove the glass in the future? Is it too late to spray a varnish on them? I have not cleaned the paintings, I am afraid I will remove more of the paint. Should I clean them?
Thank you in advance for any advice folks have on preserving old acrylic paintings!!!
Posted
If they are very precious to them take to a restorer have them cleaned and varnished.
You could do this yourself a soft brush dust into crevices even a gentle wash with warm water and a mild soap mix. Then use an artist quality varnish from an art shop and follow instructions.
Yes you could have them glazed. If your G Ma left them without glass that is probably the look she wanted.
But they need to be seen by a proffesional framer who will give advice on them. Incidentally 20 years isn't very old, some of my own are older.
Posted
Is the paint chipping off round the edges? They probably need a coat of acrylic varnish - acrylic paint is quite soft, and vulnerable to damage at the edges of panels and to dirt. An alternative is to simply frame them - you don't need glass, though one of mine is behind glass as it happened to be fitted to the frame I used, if the pictures are varnished. The frame will protect the edges, but I would get someone who knows a bit about acrylic painting to apply some protection to those corners - could be acrylic medium, or varnish.
As for glazing - ensure the glass doesn't touch the painting: you could put them behind a card mount, depending on the look you want, or have the picture set back from the glass (if the paint and the glass touch, there's a chance that the picture will stick). A good framer will take care of that for you, and if these are paintings you value it would be worth the cost.