Thursday, June 30, 2011

Minerva Teichert's Previously Restored Painting Needs Redoing

This is a detail of a painting my Minerva Teichert, an important Mormon artist at the first half of the 20th century. Its a huge oil on canvas measuring 9' x 8'... and is one of a pair that hang in the LDS Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City. 


More and more the painting was not looking too good, visibly falling apart even though it was restored in the not too distant past: we wondered if it was really clean because it should have been more colorful, and bubbles  were forming where the canvas was detaching from the panel it was glued to. Not until we got it off the wall did we realize that it had been glued to plywood!


So, what's wrong with plywood you might ask? Well, both plywood and Masonite are very acidic materials and cause canvas and paper to deteriorate quickly if they are in contact. In addition to that super non archival product, the choice of a "permanent" glue (any glue you by at the hardware or construction supply store) and you can have yourself a real preservation mess!


As I write this, we are working very carefully to remove the canvas from the plywood in a way that will not stress the paint layers or kink the fabric. As you might guess, our main objective is NOT to get into a mess of flaking or raking paint. Here's a picture of a roll we use to help us handle the artwork as we finesse the canvas off the plywood.

After removal, we'll spend a lot of hours cleaning the adhesive off the back of the canvas that was left behind after its removal. That's a super important needful process in order to have the painting look right when we mount it to a new special panel. More on that later... and maybe we’ll make a short video of the art restoration treatments. Stay in touch.

If you like Minerva's work, like our blog or like knowing about art conservation/restoration and Mormon historical projects, please "Like" this blog post and give a THUMBS UP. Also, please comment! Pass it along to others you know will enjoy knowing the INSIDE SCOOP on Mormon historical items.
See some of our videos on Youtube at “bestartdoc”
Have art conservation questions? Call Scott Haskins 805 564 3438 best_artdoc@yahoo.com
For more info about what's going on in the lab go to www.fineartconservationlab.com
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Monday, June 20, 2011

Art Conservation of Kent Twitchell's Mural of Biola Jesus - 2nd Video of Consolidation

This short second video shows the treatments that seem to miraculously regenerate the whitened varnish. By also absorbing into those layers an adhesive, the original colors reappear in a startling way.



The work is performed by Scott M. Haskins, art conservator on the mural by Kent Twitchell at Biola University in La Mirada, California. See blog page dedicated to project at http://www.fineartconservationlab.com/twitchell-biola-jesus-mural/

1st video shows tests and examination
3rd video shows Kent's restoration
4th video shows techniques of final varnish

Scott M. Haskins 805 564 3438 best_artdoc@yahoo.com www.fineartconservationlab.com
Kent Twitchell, 310 709 2037

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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Video: Shows Twitchell Mural "Biola Jesus" evaluated and tested for art restoration

Kent Twitchell's Biola Jesus Mural is evaluated and tested for mural restoration and art conservation http://youtu.be/rOeBj7FdXnA  Please pass along link to others