Seafarers and sailing boats are always particularly pleasing to clean and restore, due to the difference that can be achieved in the light sky and in the waves cresting the sea.

One painting recently restored, had the varnish removed and the painting cleaned, which made a remarkable difference to the painting – and created one of the most striking ‘halfway in progress’ photographs.

First, an in-depth assessment into the artwork’s condition is carried out and it was found that painting was structurally sound, with no tears or holes. It was suffering from flaking paint and in some areas, paint loss, which would need to be addressed.

It was also apparent that the varnish layer had perished and had tinged the paint with a yellowish hue, which was unsightly and obscuring key details of the painting including the illegible signature on the bottom left of the painting.

Priority is always given to stabilize the paint layer and stopping any more paint from flaking and becoming loose. In this case, due to the paint layer’s widespread fragility, this would need to be done across the whole of the painting.

A layer of Japanese tissue is first placed over the painting and white spirit and Beva applied onto the tissue and the back of the painting. This was then gently heated on the lining table allowing the paint layer to successfully consolidate and become secure. Then the varnish is removed with the cleaning away any trapped dirt and contaminants underneath the varnish layer. The results from this process were astonishing and the signature was now visible.  The cleaning and restoration work was completed by retouching the painting where there had been numerous losses of paint.

To begin this process a filler is first applied over the exposed areas of the canvas. Then pigment matching is carried out to ensure the retouching provided a subtle and uniform finish.  After re-varnishing the painting to provide a protective and lasting finish for the painting it is now back to looking its best.

With the restoration complete, the full striking difference between how the painting looked when it first arrived and how it looks once restored can be fully appreciated.

For more information on art restoration, please call The Gallery on 01256 701082 or email theframe@icoud.com