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There are many nicotine covered paintings out there. The first picture shows after partial cleaning just how much this coating destroys the beauty of a painting. Every colour is modified in a very bad way. After it has been cleaned the beauty is once more revealed.
Before
After
As with the previous painting here is another example of the beauty revealed after nicotine is removed.
Before
After
This painting was in a sorry state when it came in to my workshop, the picture was taken after an initial cleaning to assess the damage. There were many problems to solve , the rips, and gouges are obvious, but the paint surface had deteriorated all over, in various ways. After consulting with the client, a course of action was decided. The painting was lined, and the holes were plugged. The repairs were then disguised with paint, which was a multi step process. Finally the piece had varnish applied, and I'm happy to say my client (Robert Britnell)was pleased with the result.
Before
After
A couple of smokers had left there mark on this beautiful oil painting by John Bell Smith. It took a bit of work to clean, and I think the difference is pretty clear. The work was done for a very knowledgeable art consultant, Robert Britnell who I never hesitate to recommend to my clients. Thanks Robert to for this Letter of Recommendation.
Before
After
It looked like Zorro had been in the area, when I first saw this very damaged oil painting. I told her I could fix it but I would have to add some clouds to help cover the damage, but it could be repaired. I'll let my customer Martha Hope, who kindly sent this letter to me, to tell you what she thought after I returned the painting to her. Martha's Letter
Before
After
This beautiful painting by James Lewis Clark, R.I., mostly needed cleaning, but there was a nasty chunk out of the girls hand. After some initial cleaning the hole was plugged, and the hand was repainted. The rest of the painting was cleaned, restored, and varnished. My customer was very happy with the result.
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After
This painting came to me in an ornate frame, that was painted gold with the painting still in it. (DON'T DO THAT !) The rip was an accident that gaped with time, producing more cracks in the dark area. The canvas had buckled , and all in all things were looking pretty grim. To restore it back to health, the painting was lined, then cleaned, and the gap left by the rip was plugged. Paint was used to make all the damage disappear, a little varnish and, voila', a pretty picture once again.
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After
Let's say your Mother gives you a painting she did of Jesus, and you've had it for a while and you think, "huumm it looks a little dirty, I should give it a clean", so you go into the bathroom to get your after shave and you think," that should do it" . I'll offer a word of caution, "don't " . This would be a good time to call me. Take a look at the first picture and you'll see what happened after implementing the aforementioned theory. We call this blooming, and it is a blooming mess too. Took a bit of work to get it restored, would have been better if I'd gotten it before, so once again if in doubt, don't do it, call me.....
Before
After
You don't see too many of these. It's a small oil painting, probably Dutch, and it's done on a beautiful oak panel. I didn't repair too much of the damage because of the historical value of something like this, it's sometimes best to leave it. A little cleaning really pulled out the color and contrast and some varnish will protect it's value. Looks pretty good now.
Before
After
Sometimes cleaning and a little touch up is all that's required and you'll get a much better looking painting.
Before
After
A nasty bit of paint failure which could get worse on this one. As you can see down the left side the paint was so loose I peeled it off easily with my thumbnail. This was probably caused by water damage and required a complete repainting of the side of the painting,. after making sure no more paint would come off. The result was a fully restored painting with lots of life left in it, and a happy customer.
Before
After
My customer was quite upset when she called. A treasured
family painting had fallen off the wall and landed on the silverware
face down. It now had several nasty holes in it, could I fix it she
wondered hopefully. "No problem", said I. After lining and repairing, a
little cleaning and some new varnish I returned the painting to a happy
family who were all smiles looking at the results. This is the best part
of my job.....a happy client.
Email from Linda Daley
The painting looks wonderful....restored as though it had
never happened. I actually looked at your site already as I was
describing your work and singing your praises to one of my co-workers. I
was happy to see our painting displayed there.... my friend was most
impressed!
Thanks again for your help.
Linda
Before
After
Dear Roger ;
Thank you so much for the wonderful work you did restoring the
painting I brought in. It is amazing how well you were able to repair
that rather large rip and fill in the broken up corner. The cleaning and
re-varnishing brought out the true colours again and also make the
canvas look smoother. The painting looks beautiful on our living room
wall! Thank you so very much. We certainly will recommend you to whom
ever we can.
Sincerely, Bill and Ursula Brereton.
Before
After
Hopefully your treasured artworks are in better shape to start with, but dirt and grime gradually build up, usually so slowly that you don't notice until it's cleaned. Varnish yellows over time , and most paintings will be considerably cheered up with a little cleaning, and some new varnish. It also helps them survive longer, and the longer they survive the more valuable they become, you can't loose, so call me at the studio, and we'll start from there.
