Caring for your Artwork
Your artwork has been carefully painted with professional artist quality paints, high quality mediums and surfaces ensuring archival quality to last for generations. Where a painting is provided framed, a professional framer has carefully crafted the custom built frame and sealed the painting for longevity.
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When shipped to you, your painting will be packaged appropriately to protect it whilst in transit both locally and internationally.
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In your care, there are a few things that you can also do to ensure you keep the painting in great condition and looking its best for years to come.
Handling your Painting
Try not to touch the painting itself, instead handle via the edges, frame or canvas frame. Stretched canvas can quickly become slack if too much pressure is applied directly to the unsupported fabric, leaving a dent in the surface, so try to avoid any situations that may stretch or potentially puncture the canvas.
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Framing your Painting
I highly recommended having your painting professionally framed as soon as you receive it. Artwork on canvas and linen does not necessarily need to be covered with glass or acrylic glazing as they subtly shift with atmosphere changes and will need to breath. If however, you are hanging the painting in a high humidity area, such as a bathroom or kitchen, discuss options with your framer.
Hanging your Painting
Wondering where to hang your painting? Heat, light and humidity are all factors that could affect your painting over the long term.
Light exposure is one of the most frequent mistakes made and even with high quality paints, mediums and varnishes used, colour pigments can fade if the painting is subjected to a direct light source over time.
Similarly hanging over a fireplace, radiators or directly under a heating vent can affect the longevity of your painting making it brittle or affected by smoke. Hang your painting in an area which isn't subject to big temperature swings and away from any direct heat sources.
If you have your heart set on hanging the painting in a high humidity area, such as the bathroom or kitchen, speak to your framer so they can advise on the best framing methods that will give your painting as much protection as possible.
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Last but not least, make sure the fixings you use are strong enough to hold the painting in place on the wall. If its a large heavy artwork, you may need to find the studs in your wall to fix it to.
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in summary, keep it secure, cool, dry and most importantly, out of direct light.
Ongoing Care
Dust your canvas/linen painting occasionally with a soft and dry natural fibre brush (no water or cleaning fluids) vertically and horizontally with the face of the painting pointing downwards so dust falls away from it. Cloths can leave fibres on the painting surface, especially on any ridges of paint, so a soft natural fibre brush is best.
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Take your painting off the wall once in a while to check the condition of the sealing, backing and fixtures and promptly fix anything that needs replacing.
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These tips are certainly not exhaustive, there are many other reliable sources also offering great advice. And I can't stress enough the importance of working with a professional framer to show your painting at its best for many years to come.
