Caring for artwork

Caring for your artwork is very important. Here are a few tips to ensure your artwork lasts decades or more.

CLIMATE

You shouldn’t expose canvas artwork to excessive heat or dampness. Your storage area should be well-ventilated, without draughts and heat sources like fires and radiators. Humidity can cause mould to grow, so make sure that your space allows for circulating air. It’ll prevent humidity from building up. Humidity leads to many problems, including staining the paper, ink blurring, and adhesives weakening. Acrylics are usually fine in humid conditions with ventilation.

HEAT SOURCES

You should not keep artwork near heat sources such as fires and radiators. Heat can cause inks to become soft on canvases, the glue starts to peel on acrylics, and lead to blistering and burns on the artwork.

LIGHTING

Ensure your acrylics or canvases aren’t exposed to direct sunlight or overhead lighting. Intense lightning fades artwork. Having a non-specialised light shining onto your artwork can become a source of heat. Contact a lighting specialist that provides information on the LED specific lights that honour your artwork without creating damage.

DARK SPACES

If your environment is too dark, this can also present problems. Putting your artwork in an attic or basement will likely be damp or dry conditions causing damage. Insects like silverfish and termites thrive in damp and dark environments by ingesting paper.

WALLS AND FLOORS

It’s best not to hang canvases on external or concrete walls; they absorb moisture. Likewise, leaning a painting on the floor causes damage. As well as being more liable to be accidentally kicked, artwork can absorb moisture from a concrete floor.

CLEAR SPACE

You shouldn’t store any toxic substances, solvents or paint products near your artwork. It is crucial to keep your area around artwork accessible and uncluttered to prevent dust and dirt damage.

PROXIMITY

Don’t lean anything against the surface. Objects near artwork may not seem sharp enough to pierce the canvas or scratch your acrylic, but it is always surprising what damage occurs. Prevent accidents and store your artwork away from anything that might press against the surface.

Don’t lean artworks against each other when storing them. Separate them with sheets of cardboard or backing board to avoid damage.

Caring For Your Artwork

If you need further assistance or knowledge about caring for artwork, don’t hesitate to call us on 07 4099 4532