Do you know about maintaining your oil paintings?
If not, the following article may be helpful for you:
Oil paintings, which are not protected by glass (except in some museum circumstances for preservation), require special consideration regarding handling and maintenance.
A few valuable tips will help you avoid making mistakes that might damage your oil painting, and will help you preserve it for many years as a keepsake or family heirloom.
1) Handling and Storage
An oil painting is a sturdy, long-lasting, and durable art form, and with proper care and handling, it will last for generations. A visit to any good museum will confirm this, but keep in mind that museums go to great lengths to safeguard their masterpieces.
1. Always handle an oil painting by the frame without touching the painted surface.
2. Never let any object press against either the front or back of an oil painting canvas, as it is pliable and doing this will cause a dent or hole. If an accident occurs, have an expert repair the damage. An amateur repair job may look okay at first, but given time will inevitably show.
3. For temporary storage or transporting an oil painting, place cardboard or plywood on both front and back (slightly larger than the outside dimensions of the framed oil painting) and then wrap in 'bubble wrap' and tape or tie securely.
4. Permanent storage should be in a custom-sized plywood container with the painting braced to allow airflow on all sides without shifting.
5. Never expose an oil painting to extremes of heat, cold, or humidity, whether hanging on your wall or in storage. Neither basements nor attics are good storage locations. The best place to store an oil painting is on the wall for all to enjoy.
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6. Occasional dusting with a clean, soft-bristled brush is recommended. A very old or dirty oil painting should be taken to a professional restorer.
2) Hanging Your Oil Painting
Here is the fun part. Oil paintings, especially portrait oil paintings, demand pride of place in your home. Involve your spouse or family in deciding the perfect location.
Hang your oil painting on two picture hooks which are appropriate to the wall (wood, plaster, drywall) and strong enough to secure the weight of the picture. Two hooks, rather than one, will allow the picture to maintain a horizontal position.
1. Choose a place for your painting that does not get direct sunlight or is subject to hot or cold drafts.
2. Hang high enough to be able to see the painting clearly from anywhere in the room. A spot over a mantelpiece or over a sofa (above head height of anyone sitting on the sofa) is usually ideal.
3. Avoid hanging oil paintings in hallways or on walls where there is frequent family movement or where furniture may be brushed against the wall.
4. If you have central heat or air-conditioning, that's great. If not, a rule of thumb is, if people are comfortable in the room your oil painting occupies, chances are your oil painting will be comfortable too.
If you do not own a genuine oil painting yet, you can turn a favorite family photograph into an oil portrait as a way of displaying it and preserving it forever.
Hope the above tips on oil paintings maintenence would be helpful for you.
Edited by Xiamen Romandy Art Limited.
(Professional Oil Paintings suppliers from China. If you want to convert your photos into high quality oil paintings, or you want the masterpiece oil painting reproductions, please don's hesitate to contact with us.)
Romandy Art Website: http://www.oilpaintingcentre.com
Email: romandyart@gmail.com
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