Art Restoration

Specializing in Oil, Acrylic, Paper, and Photographic Media across NZ and Australia.

Art restoration is the art and science of restoring damaged paintings, works on paper, and photographs to their original or near-original condition. Our expertise lies in diagnosing and treating deterioration caused by age, environment, and accident.

Structural and Support Issues

• Canvas: We repair punctures, tears, and splits at the stretcher edges. We also stabilize sagging, loose canvases, and correct dents or bulges.
• Wood Panels: For paintings on wood, we treat splits, cracks, and damage caused by wood-boring insects (such as borer) to ensure the stability of the support.

Surface and Layer Deterioration

• Paint Layer: We address cracking, loose or flaking paint, areas of paint loss, and fading.
• Varnish & Dirt: We safely remove layers of yellowed/browned darkened varnish, accumulated dirt, dust, mould, and mildew. Accumulated dirt can be acidic and speed up the breakdown of the support (canvas or wood).

Common Paper Ailments

• Foxing: These brown spots are often caused by mould or bacteria that thrive in high humidity, sometimes exacerbated by metallic particles within the paper pulp. We treat these stains to improve the paper’s clarity.
• Acidity & Mat Burn: Papers, mats, and backing boards made from acidic wood pulp can damage the artwork over time, causing it to turn yellow or brown. We treat acidity and remove discoloration (known as “mat burn”) caused by leaching from acidic mat boards.
• Mould: Mould growth is a particular concern for pastels due to the nature of the pigment, accelerated by fluctuations in temperature and humidity.

Photo Restoration

We offer restoration for all types of photography, including hand-coloured, sepia and photos printed on glass. We utilize both techniques:

• Manual Restoration: Working directly on the original print.
• Digital Restoration: Creating a new, stabilized image using advanced digital techniques.

Example of Service: We routinely address severely faded photographs and can perform expert color matching based on physical samples (e.g., fabric from clothing worn in the photo) to restore the original tonal integrity.

Pests and Rodents

We treat damage caused by insects and rodents. Silverfish and book lice are common enemies of paper, thriving in damp environments. We repair damaged areas by carefully rebuilding the support and meticulously touching up the affected image area by hand, matching the delicate colors of the original.