Granville Redmond Oil Painting Transforms During Cleaning – Oil Painting Restoration
Vintage oil paintings by Granville Redmond are some of the most sought after highly esteemed early California arts collated internationally. Because he is so well known, its amazing to me when a new painting that no one has ever seen surfaces… usually “dug up” by an art dealer who knows how to do his research and find such things. Here is a newly found gem…
Badly in need of cleaning/removal of the discolored varnish
Well, this dark landscape may not seem like a gem to you but the new owner knew before hand what this picture is supposed to look like when the darkened, yellowed varnish is removed. That is a kind of an inner gift some people have; to look past the grunge, mold, grime of the ages (some dealers romantically call it “Titian’s Dirt”) to see what things are supposed to look like once they are cleaned and restored. That’s where the money can be made too, as a dealer. When its ugly, they buy low, and when its gorgeous, they sell high. Here’s the painting during the art conservation cleaning:
- The varnish removal should never endanger the original paint.
- There are a couple of reasons I’m showing this to you, assuming you are a collector, curator, vintage art lover: once you start feeling at home with the aesthetics, history and market of a certain style and period of art, then the next level deeper in your knowledge should be to know more about condition of the artwork which will open your knowledge about fakes, poorly restored items and appraisal values. While authenticity stories usually interest everyone, very few people know any details of how to know and who to ask. Figuring out the condition of artwork is a major factor in determining value and authenticity. As you might guess, the older the artwork, the more tangled and convoluted the web of provenance, condition and authenticity can get. OK, maybe I’m getting off track here. We started this blog post talking about a new find of a previously unknown painting from around 1920 by Granville Redmond. In this case, the dealer/researcher who found and purchased te artwork knew the difference between needing a clean and the painting having a condition problem. In other words, even though he knew it needed to be cleaned, he knew it was in wonderful original condition. Kudos to Greg Colley at California Art Company for the find! His website is http://www.californiaartcompany.com. Here’s what it looks like cleaned:
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1920's oil painting by Granville Redmond cleaned of its old discolored varnish
- I love his paintings that have moons, suns etc. in them. Despite Redmond’s fame with poppies, lupines and wonderful colors, this Tonalist picture is actually a type of painting or mood that he was famous for. In fact, his first art show medal (2nd place) was for a Tonalist beach scene. I also like the little light flickering in the window of the boat.
- If you would like to begin to delve into a deeper world of knowledge of condition and discovering the hidden details of restoration as you look at art and evaluate before you buy, then perhaps you will appreciate the following IMPORTANt, USEFUL, 3 tips:
- I had a client recently, well experienced but he relied only upon “his eye.” That is, he thought he could see everything because he was so experienced in looking at art (and his ego got in the way). Recently, this art collector got scammed!
See the hidden deception that he NEVER saw … and it cost him BIG TIME (about $35,000!
See 2 min video at http://bit.ly/efWGe4
He could have avoided it!
INSPECTING AND EVALUATING A VINTAGE PAINTING (AND MORE!) WITH A UV BLACKLIGHT:
REQUIRED Due Diligence For Art Collectors!
GOOD CONDITION? RESTORATIONS?
VALUE AND APPRAISAL?
3 GOOD TIPS FOR ART COLLECTORS
Every art collector questions the condition before a purchase… or should! Art dealers and auction house personnel, art appraisers, insurance claim adjusters also rely on accurate evaluations and inspections that would benefit from the expertise of an art conservator
First tip: Ask this question… Does previous art restoration/conservation treatments affect the condition and value of the item? The answer may be different depending on what professional “job” you have; a collector may look at an artwork differently than a claims adjuster.
Tip Number Two involves another condition question that should always be asked regarding previous retouching/ inpainting. This diagnostic method is not as easy as recognizing purple blotches. How much inpainting affects the value? That’s not an easy question to answer and is better answered by an appraiser.
And that sets me up for a good segue for Tip Number Three: associate with and choose professional “mentors.” Choose an art conservator that adheres to a professional code of ethics. The ethics of professional art conservation do not allow for an art conservator/ restorer to buy, sell or appraise (unless he’s a certified). There are many ways unethical people can take advantage in the art world. Of course, choosing to associate with the most knowledgeable person will be of the greatest benefit to you.
So, find out more about the use of a blacklight… An essential, REQUIRED due diligence step for art collectors!
- www.tipsforfineartcollectors.or/blacklight-package
- If you have art conservation questions call Scott M. Haskins 805 564 3438
- If you have art and antiques appraisal questions call Richard Holgate at 805 895 5121
- Give this blog posting a THUMBS UP and leave a comment, please!
- Return to the front page of the website – Click here!
Interesting photos and I continue to be amazed at the care and expertise you give to your work on restoring paintings. You know, its funny, I’m amazed that the difference in color during cleaning is so amazing and yet, a short time after the cleaning is complete, I forget about the tremendous change and my mind almost thinks that the painting has always looked so fresh and clean. Isn’t that weird?
The same thing happens to me Margeret. After the painting is cleaned and the colors are returned to what the artist intended, its hard to remember what it looked like dirty. Thanks for your comment. You might like to see a video time elapse of a cleaning I did for the Daughters of Utah Pioneers at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj0ymzCk5HU Click on the THUMBS UP, OK?
Wow what an amazing job Scott. It is best to block out the memory of the painting in bad shape.
Scott, you definitely know your stuff. I also watched your video that you did for the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Awesome.
You do a great job Scott!!
Wow it is amazing to see the difference after it has been cleaned. It appears like it was never once dirty and it was never touched. Great work.
Looks absolutely great. Scott, by the way I read your book. I learned a lot and you are a true expert.
Thanks Sandy. The book, btw, is a reference book so don’t be tempted to say “I read it” and then never pick it up again. Keep it handy for coaching and ideas when it comes to protecting your stuff. ALSO, my YouTube channel, Preservationcoach, has videos for home use and instruction. AND, if you sign up on http://www.sav eyourstuffblog.com or on http://www.pioneerartrestoration.org I will send monthly reminders, videos and tips to remind you to take action and tell you good adventure stories. Stay in touch!
Yeah I have always wondered if having a painting restored in the past will have an impact on its value. Like you said it is best to ask an art appraiser for that as I am sure each case is unique as well. Great info Scott.
You are truly an expert in art Scott. I can feel your passion with it and very impressed with how much you teach others about art and restoring collectibles.
I am looking into studying about restoring art myself and Scott, you are filled with excellent references.
You are awesome in what you do Scott but what impresses me the most is your passion about art.
The results after restoration are astonishing. I love it.
I never really appreciated how much it takes effort and cost wise to repair a painting like this. Thank you for teaching me something new
I am glad there are honest art restorers like you. Like the artist you were talking about, unfortunately scamming is very common.
What a great job because you cannot even believe it was ever damaged.
I have a painting that needs repair. Scott I am very impressed what you have done and the talks you have given about art, I will be in touch. Thank you.
It is rare to find a professional in art restoration like you Scott. The care that you put in is beyond great.
You are a true pro, it’s amazing how anyone can do such an amazing restoration job like that.
Unfortunately there are a lot of unethical people in the world so in the art world I am sure in many ways it would be worse. Thank you for the warning.
Could you restore a painting that has been severely damaged? I mean if it was severely burned or something? That is amazing.
Ross, we get mangled, severely damaged paintings all the time. We just finished one in the lab that was shredded into 5 pieces by the polar son of the owner. Its looks perfect today. I’ll be blogging about it so stay in tune.
I did not even think that prior work would affect its value especially if it was done properly.
In order to find a professional A1 quality mentor, you need to do some hardcore research. Great read!