Many people love to buy oil paintings and displaying in home, hotel or office areas. Oil paintings last for many years. But you also need to preserve them carefully. Hand painted oil paintings should be taken care from harmful factors like dust, heat, direct sunlight, and humidity and also handled properly. Safeguarding the painting is simple. In this article, I have mentioned few practices, how you can protect your oil painting made on canvas
- Varnish the paintings
Varnishing the finished oil painting is the foremost important thing, every artist should do. It gives glossiness to the paintings. Varnish not only makes painting look best but also protects it from dirt and dust. But, varnishing painting should be done by artist preferably, after drying the painting properly.
2. Hang your painting at proper place
Mostly, hanging the paintings on wall is a safe idea. Handle it properly, so that no damage happens to the surface. Place it in such an area where it won’t get knocked over, scratches or holed. Never place the paintings near windows directly to the sunlight, fireplaces, and heaters and also avoid hanging paintings in kitchens and bathroom.
3. Remove dust from paintings
Remove the dust by using an artist brush, a soft brush. You can get it from any art and craft store. Never use rough cloths or dusters to clean the painting, as it may create scratches. Also, avoid using water or any sprays to clean the painting, as it may interact with the varnish or painting.
4. Safeguard your paintings from atmospheric conditions
Extreme environmental conditions, specifically humidity and temperature can destroy the oil painting. Temperature up to 65ºC or close to that will be good idea. Temperature more than 75ºC, may cause the expansion and the painting layers get crack. Keep the painting in a proper air circulation area. Air flow protects the artwork from moisture. If the moisture buildups, it will cause mildew, because of this discoloration of the painting happens and also attract he insects.
Follow these simple steps and your painting will be safe for ages. Paintings in oil medium are so beautiful and great for decoration. Oil painting is the prime medium for the artists from centuries.