If one oil painting gets well protection, it would keep its color for years, if not, the chromatograph may break, fall off, or change color. So, how to protect your painting and avoid damage? Here are the experiences from a
gallery owner, we can learn something from him:
1. get some natural beeswax which dissolved in turpentine, then coat twice in the back of canvas thinly, it would absolutely prevent the wet air.
2. Avoid long direct sunlight, ultraviolet has huge destructive effect to the color, it would cost color fading and changing color.
3. The room which store oil painting should be ventilated and dry, be away from bathroom and kitchen as much as possible. Avoid the dust, lampblack and mildew to cause damage. Keep a certain temperature and humidity in room. Once the painting become damp, it must dry in the shade, must guard against the blazing for a long time, otherwise the painting would easily fall off.
4. Never stick one painting to another painting, the painting may paste in each other when the temperature is high then cost falling off and damage.
5. While rolling the oil painting, use more than 4 or 5 inched paper tube, canvas inside and painting outside, then wrap it with a plastic cloth to avoid crack..
6. If there is dust in the painting on the wall, use sight-damp clean cloth to wipe it. If there is lampblack, use diluted soap-suds and fresh water to scrub it then immediately bring some thing to absorb the water, then use a fan to blow the water. For the longstanding and cracked oil painting, use less water, part wiping is enough. Some people buy gross oil to maintain the oil painting, it’s available, but the painting must get clean before the spraying.
7. Generally, oil canvas could preserve for two to three years. As the time goes by, some painting may start to crack. So, pack up the paintings which not on the wall with cloth if you have many collections. Put then to a wood box.
There are for reference only, more skills still need the collector to ponder in practice, constantly sum up and enjoy from the process.
