In spite of being very careful with our paintings, and mostly hanging them on a
wall, they can become damaged during a move or relocation. They can be bent
from being leant against a wall, or scratched or cut by a sharp object next to
them, or perhaps damaged through shipping.
In these cases there will always be noticeable traces of damage to the painted
surface, particularly distracting when viewed under oblique light.
At first glance, this kind of damage to a painting may seem catastrophic and
irreversible, for example a tear across the whole of a face can appear especially
frightening.
As reassurance, I can show with several examples how patience and
many years of experience can make the damage to the canvas completely
unnoticeable.
This painting shows that in addition to tears in the canvas missing pieces had to
be replaced. However this painting was stored badly in a dusty, forgotten
warehouse. In many cases, the first step in repairing is to remove the canvas from its
decorative frame.
After straightening the print, the restoration work can begin
by placing and gluing the fibers on the back of the canvas.
After fixing the tear, the real challenge can begin, work is necessary on the
painted side.
Here at the joint, filler must be applied to bring the primer to the
correct height, and then we follow the structure around it, applying the
blended colours with brush strokes.
