Art Prop Pests or Found Object Funk

Ugh, so I'm moving my studio around and cleaning - yes it happens to an artist too - when I discovered a little mound of "dust" on the table under a set of old antelope antlers that I have for still life reference. That's not good. That's in effect... cooties! I'm grateful to myself that I store items and supplies crafted for sale in sealed containers, but I worry for items such as my bear skull that were displayed very near those antlers that MUST be infected with a carpet beetle of some sort. Thankfully they seemed to prefer my specimens that still hold fur. This experience is something to keep in mind if you're prone to taking into your studio found objects and gifts from Nature. Personally I am mindful of the possibility of pests already, but it still happened to me! I've learned that even dried insects that one might be tempted to add to a collage or assemblage can hold tiny parasites that would be happy to munch away on your artwork unseen until damage is done! So now the battle has begun and my kitchen freezer is filled with baggies of bone, antler & fur as I hope to remove this invader and preserve props that have become special to me. The set of antlers came from a taxidermist years ago so I felt no need to take the same preventative measures that I would with an item gathered from the wild. But with arsenic having become illegal to use in taxidermy preparation every specimen added to your collection of oddities should be treated as a wild card.

BUT WHAT TO DO??

When I collect a dried insect or reptile from the wild, which I often use in my artwork, I first seal the specimen into a plastic zip bag and place it in the freezer for at least a month. Freezing should kill off pests on items that can't be treated with heat such as fragile insect wings that are commonly used in jewelry making these days. Before using it I will often spray it with a careful mist of rubbing alcohol or a cotton swab of the same if it won't damage the specimen, and though I don't know for sure if it helps with pests it does clean any remaining blood or residue well. Old fur coats and pelts can be dry-cleaned and that will take care of any parasites that they might hold. Woody items such as branches and leaves can be heat treated in the oven; times and temps will vary based upon the individual item. Bones can be boiled or baked. Metal items should be washed because they can hold some cooties too, but don't use a dish soap because it will kill a beloved rusty patina... boil and/or just use a gentle hand soap with really hot water (being careful not to get a tetanus tempting cut). IF you do find little piles of dust or tiny little worms on animal based products that you've brought into the house removing the offending article, cleaning the area, and putting the thing sealed into a deep freeze should do the trick.

Hopefully this blog post will help some of you. It certainly made me feel better to know that there are things that I can do and that discovering a few cooties isn't the end of the world, or the end of my antlers!


*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt T. E. Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use please.

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Vintage Funeral Mask Comes To Life

After 1st cleaning before remount.

 It feels good to take care of my kitsch and transform it into home decor. Have you heard of the Death mask of Agamemnon? I've always been somewhat enamored with Bronze Age Greece (c.2500-1100 BCE), the Minoans and Mycenaeans, so when I noticed an old souvenir reproduction of the famous funerary mask in a box lot it was quite a find! I was thrilled to add it to my small collection of funeral art and masks.

The original artifact is a mask of gold that was found in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann in Mycenae. It was dubbed as the "Mask of Agamemnon" because Schliemann was convinced that he'd discovered the final resting place of the mythical king of Mycenae, commander the united Greek armed forces during the Trojan War. The mask, however, is most certainly not the face of Homer's fabled king because it is much older than the historical Agamemnon.

When I received my version of the mask it nearly resembled an artifact dug out of the ground, likely having spent many years boxed in a garage. It was mounted to a padded trophy shield of black velvet and faux green paper crocodile skin. The velvet had lost its fuzz and was worn threadbare on the edges. It was dusty, and the metal had begun to "green-up" in a few places -- a damage that will continue to spread if untreated. So I cleaned old Aggie up and put him aside until I got around to creating a new background mount.

The first photograph shows the "before" and the second photo is the nearly finished product. It's resting in a regular picture frame now but will soon go into a glass encased shadow box frame for protection from dust and debris.

I started by brushing some Cardinal Red craft quality acrylic paint over a large piece of archival sketch paper. When that dried (thank you blow-dryer) I crinkled it firmly into a ball. The chalky texture of the paint cracks open a bit in the crinkles exposing the soft paper, which I then smoothed flat and washed with a thin coat of Burnt Umber craft acrylic paint. I wiped off the Burnt Umber with a soft moist cloth then let the paper sit overnight. The next day I adapted the design from images of genuine Mycenaean fresco using Antique White and various blue craft paints.

After the design was finished I coated both sides of the paper with Liquitex Acrylic Varnish. The high amount of acrylic polymer in the quality Liquitex product increases the lightfastness and gloss of the craft paint plus protects the surface of the metal mask from chemicals that could migrate up from the paper or paint. The painted paper was then attached to paper board using PVA glue. The mask was originally wired onto its old mount but over time the weight of the piece had begun to pull it out of shape. I opted for thick dabs of hot-glue as reinforcement. It's a strong hold yet could be removed for re-mounting in the future.

I'm happy with the level of protection I've given to this piece and enjoy it much more than when it was mounted to a dirty black base. Time well spent!

Learn more...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask_of_Agamemnon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agamemnon

*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use.

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Cleaning An Old Painting

Solutions You Can Use To Clean An Old Painting At Home...
(Oil or Acrylic Paints On Canvas)

• Remove dust with a paint or make-up brush making sure brush is soft, clean, and dry.
• Use your own saliva moistened with a cotton swab.
• Use, with cotton swab, one part of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to 5 parts of water, especially if mold is present; may lighten some pigment colors.
• Use 1 cup denatured or rubbing alcohol to 1 cup water (= to =) with a cotton swab.
• Gently rub painting surface with fresh Italian bread, without the crust. The kneaded bread crumbles away taking most dust and tobacco grime to the floor; use a drop cloth for easy work space clean-up. DO NOT use bread if mold is visibly present & follow with brushing off any remaining crumbs. Then use either the rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide solutions above.

While browsing an estate sale one day it was announced that all marked prices would now be half off, so without even looking I grabbed a $5.00 antique oil painting off the floor; what a crazy bargain! When I got the painting home I quickly realized they should have paid me to take the filthy thing! Having sat on its side for God only knows how long, over the years someone had spilled something on the canvas. In addition to regular tobacco smoke and grime residue, the mysterious substance had created very dark streaks running left to right over the painting. I knew I probably had a perfect candidate for testing out some amateur conservation and restoration techniques.

Shown at left is the painting after two initial quick cleaning sessions. Clean any painting at your own risk! A professional should be consulted for valuable or insured pieces. When cleaning a painting or canvas surface NEVER use bleach or dish soap, and always test a small area first with any cleaning method. If paint color comes off onto the test cotton swab, with only reasonable pressure, you might have to consider using a different method, allowing some paint loss, or trashing the painting altogether!

First thing I did was to determine whether or not the painting had any great financial value; it could be worth a costly trip to a professional for cleaning. Look at the photograph of the entire painting above (click image to enlarge). You're seeing it after some initial cleaning to remove those very dark streaks, and the photo is a bit out of focus, but even in such condition it can be seen that the artist was skilled though probably not a Master Painter. An inspection of the frame and canvas itself revealed common construction methods used at the turn of the last Century, offering a date between 1880 to 1915. During this time period it was common for well-off folks to take the Grand Tour of Europe, and indeed easel painting was considered a fine activity for gentleman and ladies alike. I figured the piece was likely the results of a genteel vacation activity; painted en plein air. A later Internet search of the inscribed word "Eibsee" confirmed this suspicion when I discovered the location is still to this day a popular site for tourists; a lake in Bavaria, Germany (ironically the region my own family immigrated from). Though there are artists named with the other inscribed word "Koch", none of them match this piece in painting style or skill level; those artists are high museum quality. So I determined it was worth my $2.50 investment to try my hand at cleaning this very dirty old painting.

Frame is covered in bubble wrap for protection.

At first I used a simple Swiffer type dust cloth to remove the initial layer of dust debris. I decided not to remove the canvas from the frame, so wrapped the frame with several layers of bubble wrap to avoid any further damage. Placing the whole package onto my artist easel gave me easy access to all areas of the surface, but laying flat on a secure table top works just as well. I then began testing by first using a cotton swab moistened with saliva. It sounds gross, (the painting is gross already anyway), but spit won't soak into the canvas fabric like water and the acids in saliva break down grime without damaging the paint or canvas like a solvent; Do not drink anything other than water if using the saliva method, to avoid transferring food type substances.
Use cotton swabs, not balls, for cleaning any painting. Notice how dirty the swab comes away just from using saliva in a circular rubbing motion; don't over-scrub, being gentle yet firm in stubborn areas of soil. Hold the swab on its side, as shown, for best results. Work a small area at a time with any moist cleaning solution, carefully dabbing and rolling the swab. Working from left to right helps you keep your place to get the whole job done. As soon as a swab is soiled replace it with a clean one. Cleaning a painting takes time, but it can be worth the effort for a beloved piece.
Next, in an area of very heavy soiling I dipped another swab into window cleaner. Though it removed the black streak, it seemed to lift off some of the paint as well, leaving the surface a bit dull and dry looking. The detergents and ammonia in most household cleaners will likely cause cracking of paint or weakening of the canvas later, so just avoid using them at all in your own project. Lastly I used a mixture of equal parts rubbing alcohol and water, which did indeed remove the streaks but simply didn't remove the more general grime as quickly as saliva. For cleaning most oil paint art dilute a solution of 1 cup denatured or rubbing alcohol to 1 cup water. Always use care with rubbing alcohol and remember that it is a solvent that can remove or fog a varnish layer on a painting and will dissolve acrylic paint. Use undiluted rubbing alcohol only to clean frame glass, but avoid using it on acrylic or other glazing materials. Don't lean directly over an item you're cleaning with this solvent to avoid hazardous fumes, and apply a good hand lotion after prolonged contact with skin.

BELOW: before and after areas of cleaning.

Below, vertical streaks of soiling can be seen in this photograph, lessened in appearance already by a quick pass over with saliva dipped swabs.

I've decided to finish cleaning the rest of the painting by using two substance methods. Using circular scrubbing motions with saliva and swab, I'll quickly remove dirt, as shown by the clean streaks in the lake area of the landscape. For more stubborn soiling I'll use the alcohol mixture. Then, when all is as clean as I can get it, I'll go over the entire painting again gently with the alcohol mix, using a less moist swab this time.

referenced:http://www.mysticgriffin.com/cleaningmoldmildew.htm#180705066

* Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute http://www.si.edu/mci/english/learn_more/taking_care/care_painting.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eibsee
Travel Zugspitze http://www.ricksteves.com/tvr/pledge/castles/chap_bavaria.htm


*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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Upcycling Cardboard to Fine Art

Recently a fellow artist mentioned the subject of painting on corrugated cardboard, and how to avoid warping or buckling. I enjoy painting on atypical surfaces, and years ago I often painted on corrugated; I have a lot of trial and error experience with the material. First, let me state that art work with corrugated cardboard -- upcycling a refrigerator box to fine art, let's say -- is not archivally sound because the cardboard is going to have a high acid content. Cardboard isn't intended to last forever, but it can be made archivally stable. Good examples of how long art on paper, in general, can survive the years would be the known oil paintings on paper from the early 1700's! If you're going to be using oil paint on cardboard, make sure you keep the "fat" content low, and prime lightly with a bit of gesso if you like. The oil, or fat, in the paint is what would cause possible damage or decay in the future. Though oil won't cause the paper to buckle any use of gesso or other moist primer will. If you'll be working with any water based media then you'll have to be prepared for the cardboard to curl; paper warps with wet media... period.

It is possible to fight cardboard curl, buckle, or warp; plus make ordinary corrugated an archivally stable art material. Starting with a base coat of gesso will prepare the cardboard to better hold on to which ever type of paint you choose. Gesso will also slow acid from leeching through from the cardboard to alter your painting in the future, however gesso is brittle & can crack. A much better product to use as a base coat is clear acrylic gel medium. It's flexible, and it stops the acid in the paper from getting through at all; the acrylic polymers, in effect, create a seal. Liquitex makes an excellent heavy bodied gel medium that can be purchased at most craft & art supply stores, and because it's thick it doesn't warp as much as a base coat of gesso or paint. Oil paint won't adhere well to acrylic gel, so if you're using oil apply several layer of gesso after sealing with the gel medium.

Starting the center of the piece of cardboard, move a loaded brush of medium from top to bottom in a line; reloading as needed. Work swiftly. After applying an even line from top to bottom make another line on one side, then the other, of the first line. Allow the brush strokes blend, or feather, into the edge of the previous line to avoid building up texture that could show through your painting later. Work your way out to the edges, coating the piece evenly. Don't panic if it pulls up like a taco -- let it and don't push it down flat. When the first coat is dry, flip it over and coat the reverse in the same way. The taco curl should lay flat again as it dries because the tension on the surface of the material is even. After the back dries you'll probably want to do the front, then back, again before beginning your artwork. If it does warp while you're painting, keep the moisture level even by lightly misting the back with a spray bottle or re-coating.

If paint gets into the raw edges at any time then that paper corrugated on the inside can cause a warp. The solutions are to either avoid the edges altogether when painting or cover them with paper when base coating. With narrow strips of paper, and the gel medium, the cardboard can be perfectly sealed; acrylic gel medium has the added bonus of acting as an excellent glue! Just one fourth of an inch overlap one each side of the cardboard should be enough coverage. Be sure to "paint" the gel medium all over the strips, and if they slide, use less gel on the brush. Then coat them better after the first layer dries. The raised line of the paper strips will most likely be covered by a frame when the painting is finished. Keep the strips even and you'll have a nice clean edge.



Timber Land Steam Stack

 Unless exposed to very high humidity, or moisture, the piece of cardboard should now remain flat. Very large thin pieces may need some support that can be achieved with a frame and backing board. Covering the raw edges of the corrugated cardboard creates a seal that stops air or moisture from getting inside. Decay from acid oxidation is stopped, making a surface for art work that is archival, ready to be enjoyed for many years to come.

Shown at left is a painting assemblage where the same method was used, but with a full sized sheet of paper covered foamboard. As can be seen by the drips and running of the paint, I worked this very wet. This piece, a scene from the Pacific Northwest in my private collection, is several years old now and remains flat in the frame despite not having rear backing support. Titled "Timber Land Steam Stack", the curling form of a steam cloud is created from a recycled bent wood coat rack with cut out silhouettes of plastic coffee can lid ravens that free float from monofilament. Some of the ravens are adhered to the painting with acrylic gel medium. The bits of wood are wired to the foamboard, and so do provide a bit of rigid support. Coating and sealing the edges, however, is what prevents the foamboard from warping.

Explore and have fun! -- Tree

*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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