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<p>[QUOTE="techbiker, post: 4531841, member: 60629"]A couple months ago I won a horribly grimy late 19th century 18"x24" (canvas size) oil painting by "R. W. Walters" at an art dealer's auction. Seller claimed this painting was an "impressionist landscape". I thought it would turn out to be a pleasing impressionist take on a landscape near Cardiff. Boy was I wrong!</p><p><br /></p><p>Before cleaning anything, I documented the front and back of the work. Interestingly, the canvas was pre-prepared when the artist bought it. The frame is also fairly impressive with intricate wood carving around the outer edge. There is an old label on the back for a custom frame shop called "A. S. Waters" at 8 Shakespeare St. in Cardiff. A.S. Waters was apparently in business around 1900.</p><p><br /></p><p>I carefully removed the painting from the frame, then tested and wiped it down with "Neutralizer" on a cloth. Serious orange grime and/or varnish started to lift off the surface.</p><p><br /></p><p>At first I thought I'd need powerful varnish remover to clean off the old varnish and grime. To my surprise, almost all of the grime/varnish lifted off with Gainsborough Products' Super Emulsion Cleaner. Slowly but surely the original colors started to come back. 400 cotton swabs and 2/3 bottle of Super Emulsion Cleaner later, I had removed the vast majority of grime.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following that, I patched one small hole with picture repair putty and applied an isolation coat of varnish. I inpainted over the putty to conceal it and applied a final layer of synthetic semi-gloss conservation varnish.</p><p><br /></p><p>After touching up most of the frame, I reinstalled the painting. Still need to replace a couple missing pieces of frame plaster.</p><p><br /></p><p>Observations: After the orange goop had been removed, the scene itself turned out to be positively spooky. Mr. Walters primed the entire canvas with red paint as a first measure. Craquelure shows red. Not only is the sky dark grey and pond sickly-looking, the forest is a mixture of blacks, gnarly leafless trees, and grey and red mists! The trail appears to take you into a bewitched forest. Quite an unexpected treat IMO!</p><p><br /></p><p>What do you think? Have you seen any other paintings by R. W. Walters? Was "spooky impressionism" a thing?</p><p><br /></p><p>Unrestored:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/p2nb7dL.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>After "neutralizer" (please disregard old GOP mouse pad):</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/m2T67e3.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cleaning with "Super Emulsion Cleaner", first pass</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/AtvsZbV.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/yVkz4Zy.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/kWuSr3X.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>After isolation coat of varnish:</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vYyqH3E.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Varnished and reinstalled in frame:</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/yyjw18Y.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Verso:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/v7gmMb9.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="techbiker, post: 4531841, member: 60629"]A couple months ago I won a horribly grimy late 19th century 18"x24" (canvas size) oil painting by "R. W. Walters" at an art dealer's auction. Seller claimed this painting was an "impressionist landscape". I thought it would turn out to be a pleasing impressionist take on a landscape near Cardiff. Boy was I wrong! Before cleaning anything, I documented the front and back of the work. Interestingly, the canvas was pre-prepared when the artist bought it. The frame is also fairly impressive with intricate wood carving around the outer edge. There is an old label on the back for a custom frame shop called "A. S. Waters" at 8 Shakespeare St. in Cardiff. A.S. Waters was apparently in business around 1900. I carefully removed the painting from the frame, then tested and wiped it down with "Neutralizer" on a cloth. Serious orange grime and/or varnish started to lift off the surface. At first I thought I'd need powerful varnish remover to clean off the old varnish and grime. To my surprise, almost all of the grime/varnish lifted off with Gainsborough Products' Super Emulsion Cleaner. Slowly but surely the original colors started to come back. 400 cotton swabs and 2/3 bottle of Super Emulsion Cleaner later, I had removed the vast majority of grime. Following that, I patched one small hole with picture repair putty and applied an isolation coat of varnish. I inpainted over the putty to conceal it and applied a final layer of synthetic semi-gloss conservation varnish. After touching up most of the frame, I reinstalled the painting. Still need to replace a couple missing pieces of frame plaster. Observations: After the orange goop had been removed, the scene itself turned out to be positively spooky. Mr. Walters primed the entire canvas with red paint as a first measure. Craquelure shows red. Not only is the sky dark grey and pond sickly-looking, the forest is a mixture of blacks, gnarly leafless trees, and grey and red mists! The trail appears to take you into a bewitched forest. Quite an unexpected treat IMO! What do you think? Have you seen any other paintings by R. W. Walters? Was "spooky impressionism" a thing? Unrestored: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/p2nb7dL.jpeg[/IMG] After "neutralizer" (please disregard old GOP mouse pad): [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/m2T67e3.jpeg[/IMG] Cleaning with "Super Emulsion Cleaner", first pass [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/AtvsZbV.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/yVkz4Zy.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/kWuSr3X.jpeg[/IMG] After isolation coat of varnish: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/vYyqH3E.jpeg[/IMG] Varnished and reinstalled in frame: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/yyjw18Y.jpeg[/IMG] Verso: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/v7gmMb9.jpeg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
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