Paper Art Restoration & Conservation

All work on paper restoration services are provided by our associate conservator: Seth Irwin
Masters of Art Conservation (MAC) from Queen's University, Kingston Ontario
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Pratt Institute for Fine Arts, Brooklyn New York
Member (AIC) American Institute for Conservation
The repair and cleaning of artwork on paper involves a number of different processes



Testing for solubility of inks and watercolor.
(To determine if washing is a possibility.)

Surface cleaning.
(Removal of dirt from surface of paper artwork, front and back.



Washing.
(This process is to remove metals and unwanted materials from the paper.)

Light Bleaching.
(The use of sunlight or lamps to lighten the paper.)

Chemical bleaching.
(Chemicals may be added to the washing to change the alkalinity of the paper and allow dicoloration to be rinsed away.)

Neutralizing acidity.
(The acidity of the paper can be changed to a neutral level in order to delay further discoloration of the artifact.)



Repair of tears.
(Repair and replacement of missing paper.)

Inpainting repairs.
(To match original paper and image.)



Documentation and photographing artwork.
(It is important to keep a documented record of all work that is done, and keep it with the piece.)

Proper framing.
(Artwork should be professionally framed using archival materials and methods.)