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DEATH' FROM EXPOSURE: The environment in which a painting hangs can directly impact its life. Ignorant buyers may purchase a piece of fine art from you and subsequently destroy it by hanging it over their fireplace or right in front of a sunlit window. This is not always due to malice; your buyer may not understand the influence that the microclimate of their home or the room temperature can have on a work of art. For instance, a watercolor can be compromised if placed in direct sunlight for any length of time because direct sunlight will cause it to fade. While an acrylic painting won’t fade in direct sunlight, intense heat may cause the surface of the art to soften. If this happens, it is possible to make a dent or other type of impression by pushing on the surface of the painting. The good news is as soon as an acrylic painting is put back into a cool temperature, the surface will harden right up again .Both Oils and Acrylic paintings can be damaged if displayed above a traditional fireplace, The surface of an oil or acrylic painting will end up with a nasty film of soot. Your buyer can further damage the painting by attempting to clean it with a harsh chemical cleaner.
DEATH' BY INADEQUATE HANGING: Your buyer may assume that a large work of art can be hung in the same manner as a small painting or photograph. We all know this is NOT the case. This issue is helped along by all those wonderful stores who sell sawtooth hangers (attached with tiny, tiny finish nails) or thin metal frames with skimpy hangers. A broken frame from falling off the wall is NOT a good start for your art in a new home! Your artwork may end up in a trans can or the local dump because very few art buyers would know how to re-frame it or if the stretcher bars are broken in the fall, how to re-stretch the canvas. Granted, it isn't strictly your obligation to ensure your buyer knows how to hang your work as it should be... but I fancy most of us would love it if our art ended up being passed from generation to generation! Inform your buyers on how to hang the work so it doesn’t fall down and go boom!
DEATH' BY OVERWATERING: Your buyer may presume that it is okay to use a damp/soapy cloth to remove grime, dust or soot built up on a painting. He or she may think it is appropriate to dip a sculpture in various cleaning chemicals. NO! NO! NO! I wonder how many works of art have been severely spoiled by 'simple' cleaning approaches comprising water or a combination of water and chemicals. Ensure that your buyers appreciate the basics of proper cleaning methods... they may thank you later (your art would if it could).
You can help prevent the untimely demise of your art after it leaves the care of your studio by sending along a sheet of cleaning and instructions with the sale. Pastel Artist Carol Santora provides her buyers with a 'Handling Your Artwork with Care' sheet when her pastel paintings are sold. The sheet offers general tips for handling and hanging original artwork out of direct sunlight, etc., and specific handling of soft pastel paintings. It also explains about pastels and includes a note of thanks for their purchase. Since I don’t work in Pastels, I had to write up my own. A “how to care for” sheet helps to impress upon the buyer that they have purchased a valuable commodity, something that should be cared for and treasured. Hopefully, they will pass along your instructions to their children and help to increase art awareness.
CLEANING YOUR OIL OR ACRYLIC PAINTING.
If your art has developed a yellow film or darkened, this may be due to old varnish darkening. This must type of work must be cleaned by a professional or a museum because it takes an expert to remove the darkened varnish without damaging the art underneath.
Otherwise, begin with a feather duster and brush lightly to remove dust. Acrylics can also be touched up with a damp (NOT WET!) cloth.
Do not use soap or other chemicals.
Acrylic paint even when protected by varnish can be quite absorbent. If the frame needs cleaning, don’t use a spray cleaner as it may drift over onto the art. Ideally, the frame should be removed if extensive cleaning is needed.
HANGING YOUR ART
To avoid damaging your painting, do not hang this painting over an active fireplace. This will cause soot to form a film over the canvas, and darken and dim the colors causing permanent damage. To avoid stretching or cracking, Do not hang in direct sunlight and avoid placing in a room where temperatures rise above 85oF or below 60oF. Acrylic paint becomes soft around 60ºC. The soft film formed by acrylic paint will easily abrade or dent with just fingernail pressure. This type of damage can ruin the nature of the image so avoid touching the surface of the painting as much as possible.
Hangers should be strong enough to support the art. Don’t hang your art with sawtooth hangers because they are usually not sturdy enough to hold a painting for any length of time. For one thing, they are usually provided with teeny, tiny finish nails which pull out easily. This can cause the painting to fall, which may damage either the frame or the stretcher bars holding the canvas. If you are framing it yourself as well, the hanging wire should have the ends either taped or be enclosed in plastic sleeves. This will prevent cutting your hands on the wire (Inexpensive tubing can be bought at the hardware store, cut in small lengths, and then slipped over the wire before you twist the wire it to the art.) Fasten the wire with flat, screw in hooks to prevent damage to your wall. Finally, the ideal place for the hooks to be placed is approximately 4” from the top of the frame. This will ensure that the painting doesn’t lean out from the wall.
