Watercolour Notes: Colin Woolf - Wildlife Paintings

 

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Watercolour Notes

Watercolours and permanence

My palette of Artist's Watercolours is chosen from the finest and most permanent selection available. The paper I use is a pure cotton watercolour paper and this combination ensures that they will have the best possible permanence. In my opinion most people are unduly concerned about the fading and lack of permanence of watercolours. If looked after correctly, they will last a very long time - one has only to visit a Museum to see that some extremely old watercolours (usually made with paints and paper of an inferior quality to those available to modern artists) are still very beautiful and vibrant.

How can I make sure my painting or print is conserved for future generations?

If you are arranging the framing yourself, always specify conservation materials for the mount, backing and frame. I can't emphasise enough how important it is to do this. (You can go further and ask for museum standard if you like, but this adds considerably to the cost.). We specify and recommend the use of UV filtering glass in the framing of valuable original paintings and prints, this helps prevent the picture from being harmed by the effects of UV light.

I have seen so many examples of poorly-framed prints which have already started to deteriorate visibly because of inferior framing materials. I'm giving some examples below of what to look for:

 

Conservation

You can usually tell if your picture has been framed in conservation materials by looking at the cut edge of the mount board, where it surrounds the image. If conservation materials have been used, the cut edge will always remain white (as arrowed in the above photo). If it shows a brown edge (indicated in the photograph below at left), the picture should be re-mounted and re-framed at the earliest opportunity

Non-conservation board

Foxing marks on painting

This damage can happen within months

 

  

The brown dots or 'foxing' (in the right hand photo) are caused by acids and other chemicals leaching into the picture from the backing and mount board. If the damage is not too serious it can be repaired.

We can offer further advice and arrange high quality conservation framing for you.

Other precautions to take are:

- never hang a painting over a living fire (gas, coal or any other fuel);

- keep it away from damp and fumes of any kind;

- try to keep it in a constant temperature.

 

 

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