Tips on Preservation


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CARE OF WATERCOLOR WORKS
Here's how to protect your watercolors or other works on paper from damage:

	Frame your work in a clear glass. It protects against atmospheric pollution, scratches, and the rigors of humidity.

	Check regularly for signs of condensation inside the glass. If it occurs, you may need to have the painting remounted on an acid-free board.

	Never hang pieces on a wall directly opposite a window. Even indirect light can be a threat. Try rotating the placement of your paintings around the room periodically.

	Handle original art as little as possible.

	When storing framed works, cover them with cloth and lay pictures face down. To store an unframed work, sandwich it between layers of acid-free tissue in a dry place. Rolling or folding it could cause paint loss.

	More danger comes from invaders. Insects are drawn to paint, paper, and sometimes to the frame. Do all you can to control the insect problem in your home through insecticides. But please be careful not to spray the surface of the work.

It doesn't necessarily take museum-quality conditions to keep art sound. With proper handling and care, watercolors can survive decades, even centuries.

From the expert conservator:-

Finished watercolor work should be protected against atmosphere and direct light as much as possible. Unframed watercolor paintings can be safely stored in a portfolio. When exhibited or displayed permanently , they must be protected by glass which should be separated from the picture by means of a mat. The mat is a cardboard, cut to provide a window like opening in which the picture is visible, with a continuous cardboard boarder around it. The framer fastens a second piece of cardboard to the back of the mat. This is the mount board, a cardboard cut to the same outer dimensions as the mat board and connected to it by a long gummed-paper tape hinge along its top edge. The watercolor is secured to the mount board with small paper hinges attached to the picture's back at the two upper corners. In this way the picture, fastened only along its upper edge, is freer to expand and contract in response to humidity changes without buckling excessively or tearing. The smaller tape hinges, used to fasten the picture to the mount board, should be made of acid-free gummed paper that must be moistened with water to become sticky, as does an envelope flap. Press-on tapes, such as masking tape, should never be used to hold the picture to the mount, because they stain the paper as they are and with time they harden, becoming very difficult to remove. The mat board and the backing mount board should be made of material that will not harm the watercolor. Consequently both the mat board and the backing mount board for any picture of value should be made of acid-free cardboard. Such boards are sold as museum board or acid-free mounting board. In tropical countries it is always wise to change mat board when there are signs of foxing (small yellow spots which usually occurs due to age or improper storage of framed paintings).