The e-ramblings of Artist S.J. Grogan

Okay, most everyone who knows me knows that I am an artist. (If you didn't, you do now.) I've been painting representational landscapes, animals/horses, and portraits, in oils and some acrylics for more than 40 years (cough, cough!). Given that, I've learned a fair amount about handling paintings, paint, and canvas during that time. In keeping with being an artist, I have some personality quirks, one of them being an intense love of organizing, repairing/restoring, and making whole the not-whole things that need it.

Recently (last six months) I was asked by the gallery who handles my work (The Gallery, Whittier, CA) if I could help them with a couple different clients' collections that needed some help and cleaning, but were not worth taking to a professional conservationist (the last ones standing in SoCal are in Beverly Hills, with the prices to match that location. You do the math).

So with a lot of caveats and the collectors' understanding that I am not a degreed or certified conservationist/restoration expert, I took on the work. The first painting was a small (8"x10"-ish), primitive-styled, mid-1800s landscape painting (unvarnished) that needed substantial cleaning. Once cleaned, it just glowed. Wow.

Second painting was a lighter cleaning job that needed paint touched-up (paint-loss showed bare canvas) and also fix/color-match an earlier touch-up, (not done by me) on a large 24" x 30" oil painting from the early 1900s. Again, the final results repaired the earlier, flaked-off paint, color-matched the previous, sub-standard painted-in area, and brightened the whole painting until it glowed. I was sure that the original artist was smiling down on me for helping the family continue to enjoy their heirloom.

The third job was a modern (approx. 30 years old) acrylic painting on canvas that had an obvious, two-inch rip (ouch!) right in the middle. I was able to patch and stabilize the area, fill in and sand the front until it was even with the surrounding canvas, then color match the sky. Due to the very thin paint on the original painting that showed the texture of the canvas, that repair also needed a few wispy clouds added to help disguise the repair, done in a matching style. The gallery staff spent an inordinate amount of time trying to spot the fix from the front. Lots of smiles and a very happy collector. Whew!

There have been more jobs since then, but you get the drift. So what's the point of all this? I find I am really enjoying doing this work, especially for people who might have personal treasures or family heirlooms that need some professional attention but aren't worth taking to a certified conservator. Basically anything valued less than $5000, that a collector and family wants to keep and enjoy (and even pass down to heirs) but the work isn't something that would make it on-air on the Antiques Roadshow. The little mid-1800s primitive? Worth about $1000 but obviously priceless to that family. The 24"x30" landscape done in the early 1900s? Worth about $3000, from casual research. But the artist was a friend of the current owner's grandparents and the painting was a gift to them. The ripped, modern landscape? Worth about $500 but again, valued by the collector for the memories the painting evoked.

So the final, final-word is ... I am offering casual restoration services for oil or acrylic paintings on canvas or hard-board, for paintings valued less than $5000. If you've had your great-aunt's landscapes sitting in a closet because, while you love them, they are seriously too dirty to hang or in need of minor repairs, but you don't want to pay a thousand dollars for something barely worth that, you now have an option.

The work I do is backed up solid experience with oil and acrylic paints and varnishes. I strive to clean and protect the paint layer and substrate (canvas or hardboard), and make what repairs the client might want/work may need. That means not damaging the surface with water-based cleaners (don't do it! Don't think that, hey, some soapy water will take that grime right off! It will cause further damage in the future that will be more costly to fix, if it even CAN be fixed) or not using harsher chemicals that might strip the paint binder. It means protecting the cleaned/repaired surface for the collector to get many more years of enjoyment from the artwork. And it means making sure that all the cleaning/repair work is easily REVERSIBLE at a future date, if need be (and in case you do find out that old painting is worth half a mil. Then, PLEASE, take it to Beverly Hills).

Because I view and treat my own work with the respect that I feel my hours of toil and inspiration deserve, I believe that other artists' work should be handled the same way. And when you have a piece of artwork that speaks to you, that has weathered the years as a valued possession, then that piece should be able to shine, no matter what the monetary value is. And you should be able to let it shine, without breaking your finances.

In which case, contact me and let's work on making that old, grimy landscape that you still love, shine again.