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Tips On The Care And Handling Of Your Oil Painting
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Karl_Sultana]Karl Sultana
Buying a genuine oil painting for display in your home or office
is a cause for celebration. Whether you purchased an old oil
painting or commissioned a brand new oil portrait, you probably
realized as soon as you removed the wrappings that you don’t
have ‘just another picture’ to hang on the wall.
Oil paintings, which are not mounted behind glass (except in
some museum circumstances for preservation), require special
consideration regarding handling and maintenance. A few tips
will help you avoid making mistakes that might damage your oil
painting and help you preserve it for many years as a keepsake
or family heirloom.
Handling and Storage
Oil painting is a sturdy, long-lasting, and durable art form,
and with proper care and handling will last for generations. A
visit to any good museum will confirm this, but keep in mind
that museums go to great lengths to safeguard their
masterpieces.
1) Always handle an oil painting by the frame without touching
the painted surface.
2) Never let any object press again either the front or back of
an oil painting canvas, as it pliable and will cause a dent or
hole. If an accident occurs, have an expert repair the damage.
An amateur repair job may look okay at first but given time will
inevitably show.
3) For temporary storage or transporting an oil painting, place
cardboard or plywood on both front and back (slightly larger
than the outside dimensions of the framed oil painting) and then
wrap in ‘bubble wrap’ and tape or tie securely.
4) Permanent storage should be in a custom-sized plywood
container with the painting braced to allow air flow on all
sides without shifting.
5) Never expose an oil painting to extremes of heat, cold, or
humidity, whether hanging on your wall or in storage. Neither
basements nor attics are good storage locations. The best place
to store an oil painting is on the wall for all to enjoy.
6) Occasional dusting with a clean, soft-bristled brush is
recommended. A very old or dirty oil painting should be taken to
a professional restorer.
Hanging Your Oil Painting
Here is the fun part. Oil paintings, especially portrait oil
paintings, demand pride of place in your home. Involve your
spouse or family in deciding the perfect location.
Hang your oil painting on two picture hooks which are
appropriate to the wall (wood, plaster, drywall) and strong
enough to secure the weight of the picture. Two hooks, rather
than one, will allow the picture to maintain a horizontal
position.
1) Choose a place for your painting that does not get direct
sunlight or is subject to hot or cold drafts.
2) Hang high enough to be able to see the painting clearly from
anywhere in the room. A spot over a mantelpiece or over a sofa
(above head height of anyone sitting on the sofa) is usually
ideal.
3) Avoid hanging oil paintings in hallways or on walls where
there is frequent family movement or furniture may be brushed
against the wall.
4) If you have central heat or air conditioning, that’s great.
If not, a rule of thumb is, if people are comfortable in the
room your oil painting occupies, chances are your oil painting
will be comfortable too.
If you do not own a genuine oil painting yet, you can turn a
favorite family photograph into an oil portrait as a way of
displaying it and preserving it forever.
An inexpensive way to acquire an oil painting or oil painting
portrait of any photograph is to commission one from [http://www.paintyourlife.com]oil
portrait website.
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