Cleaning, handling, storing, and other tips for your painting
Handling * Remove watches or jewelry before handling paintings to avoid scratching the paint surface.
* Wear cotton gloves to help keep dirt and finger prints from paintings.
* Handle only one painting at a time.
* Carry the painting with two hands from the sides of the frame or stretcher bar.
* Do not carry a painting by the top of the frame or stretcher (Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, n.d.)
Dusting * Provided there are no signs of loose or flaking paint, a painting may be safely dusted using a clean, soft, natural-hair artists' brush.
* Position painting on a clean, padded surface and hold upright at a forward angle so the dust falls away from the face of the painting while being brushed.
* Brush slowly and gently in one direction across the painting, then brush again in the opposite direction.
* Avoid brushing matte surfaces, which may polish the painting and leave an undesirable glossy, permanent imprint.
* Never use dry or moist dust cloths, stiff bristle brushes, or feather dusters to dust a painting, which may damage the paint and scratch the surface of the painting (Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, n.d.).
Re-tensioning * Sagging canvases can be tightened with wooden stretcher keys, canvas re-tensioner spray, or re-stretching the canvas. "Many otherwise well-preserved paintings have been ruined by the uneven and untimely stretching of the painted surface by some well-meaning amateur, a stretching that promotes a kind of torsion or "shear," rather than a tension, causing the surface (in its semi-brittle state) to crack and deteriorate" (Carlson, 1958, pg. 18).
* To avoid damaging your canvas, I suggest you seek the assistance of a professional experienced in re-tensioning canvases; alternatively, please contact me for further information.
Storage * Store your painting vertically, not flat, in a cool, dry area away from ultraviolet light. Storing a painting flat will, over time, stretch the material and cause the canvas to sag.
* Protect your canvas by wrapping it with glassine, which is a smooth, glossy, acid-free paper that is air, water, and grease resistant. Note: Your painting left my studio with materials you can reuse for its storage.
Re-varnishing * Your painting is protected with a UV-resistant, removable varnish.
* To avoid damaging your canvas, I suggest you seek the assistance of a professional experienced in cleaning canvases; alternatively, please contact me for further information.
REFERENCES
Carlson, J. F. (1958). Carlson's guide to landscape painting. New York, NY: Dover Publications.