Caring for paintings: how to preserve a work of art
An oil painting is durable, but not immortal. Almost everything that damages paintings in an ordinary flat comes down to four causes: direct sunlight, swings in humidity, the wrong cleaning method and a badly handled move. Below are the rules I give every client in Almaty, and the ways our climate differs from the usual advice found online.
Light: direct sun is the main enemy
Ultraviolet breaks down pigments. Reds and violets go first, then everything else dulls, and within a few years the painting looks bleached — and that cannot be undone. The rule is simple: direct sunlight must never fall on the painting at any hour of the day.
In Almaty this matters more than in most places: the city sits at about 800 metres, sunny days are plentiful, and ultraviolet is noticeably stronger at altitude. South and south-west windows are the dangerous ones. If there is no other spot on the wall, a net curtain, a roller blind, or simply shifting the painting a metre away from the patch of light will do. Reflected daylight does no harm.
Lighting matters too: halogen lamps close to the canvas heat it, LEDs do not. Where exactly to hang a painting is covered in detail in "How to hang a painting properly".
Humidity and temperature
The canvas is stretched over a wooden frame, and both materials respond to humidity: in dry air the canvas tightens, in damp air it slackens. Constant swinging between the two eventually produces a web of fine cracks in the paint layer.
The comfortable range is 45–55% humidity at normal room temperature. In winter, Almaty flats on central heating drop to 20–25%: if a humidifier runs in the room where the painting hangs, so much the better. Three places are worth remembering as places not to hang a painting: directly above a radiator, on a wall with an air conditioner, and in a bathroom.
Cleaning: a dry soft cloth and nothing else
Dust is lifted with a dry soft cloth or a soft brush, working downwards, without pressure. What must never be done under any circumstances:
- washing with water or wiping with a damp cloth;
- using glass cleaner, alcohol, solvents or polish;
- rubbing at a mark — that only grinds it into the texture;
- cleaning a new painting: oil dries for months, and in the first year the canvas is best left alone entirely.
If something lands on the painting, or the paint layer is damaged, do not try to fix it yourself. Write to me: some damage is easy to deal with, but only while it has not been "treated" with whatever was to hand.
Transport
Canvas does not fear vibration; it fears point pressure and bending. When moving, a painting travels upright, face to face with another painting or against soft padding, and never lies flat under other things. The corners of the stretcher are protected separately — they are what takes the impact.
Rolling a canvas is only an option if the painting has been taken off its stretcher and you know exactly what you are doing: the oil layer cracks along the fold. Works that leave the studio for other cities in Kazakhstan I pack myself — a rigid box, corner padding, the face covered.
Frame and storage
A frame is not only decoration: it shields the edges of the canvas from knocks. If the painting hangs in a busy spot, a hallway or a child's room, a frame noticeably extends its life.
A painting that is temporarily not hanging should be stored upright, in a dry room, not leaning face-first against a wall and not wrapped in polythene — condensation gathers under plastic. Paper or cloth is the right choice.
Frequently asked questions
Does a painting need to be varnished? Final varnish goes on no earlier than 6–12 months after the painting is finished — before that the oil has not dried all the way through. If the work was bought from the studio, I will tell you whether it is already varnished and when it is worth doing.
Can an oil painting hang in a bathroom or a kitchen? A bathroom, no: constant steam and swings in humidity harm both the canvas and the stretcher. A kitchen is fine if the painting hangs well away from the hob and the extractor works — grease film settles on the paint layer over time and can then only be removed by a restorer.
The painting has darkened — is that normal? Slight darkening of old varnish is ordinary and reversible in a restorer's hands. Even fading caused by sunlight, on the other hand, is permanent, which is why light is not worth experimenting with.
How often should dust be removed? Once every few months is enough. More often is unnecessary: every touch of the surface is a small risk in itself.
What should I do when moving house? Carry it upright, pad the corners, face towards something soft. If the work came from me and you are moving within Almaty, write and I will explain how to pack your particular painting.
If you need a painting
Finished works that can be taken home straight away are in the Available section. If you need a painting for a specific wall, see how a commission works, or write on WhatsApp — all the details are on the Contacts page.