Caring For Your Ownapainting.com Oil Painting

Purchasing artwork for your home can be an investment, and with proper care your Ownapainting.com oil painting can still be in pristine condition years after it has been painted. 

The easiest yet most important way to care for your painting is proper placement.  Too much light can fade or darken the painting causing the details to be lost.  Oil paintings should be displayed in your home in areas that are dim and do not receive direct sunlight.  You should also avoid using display lights that are mounted on or near the frame, as the heat radiating from the lights can damage the painting. .  If display lighting is necessary, the lights should be at least 10 feet from the actual painting and not pointed directly at it.

The environment in which the painting is placed is also important for its upkeep and general maintenance. Your painting should be placed in an area  that has a steady humidity level and temperature.  Ideally, oil paintings should be exposed to temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity levels of 45 to 55 percent.  These ranges are to ensure that the canvas and the wood frame will not expand and shrink with temperature and humidity changes.  The actual paint, however, can not  expand or shrink so if exposed to excess humidity and temperature, it will  crack and chip off, thus damaging your prized piece of artwork.  In addition, high levels of humidity can cause the painting to mold, which will stain the painting and ruin it forever.

To prevent mold, it is also important to keep the painting clean, as dirt increases mold growth.  Your oil painting should be kept away from other air pollutants such as smoke and moisture, and placement near a fireplace or candles  can lead to soot build up on the painting.   

The most common way paintings and other pieces of artwork get damaged is through improper handling.  You should always make sure to grasp the picture by both vertical sides of the frame when moving or handling it.  In addition you should be careful not to brush against the painting or poke the back of the canvas, as this can cause flaking of the paint which quickly leads to the painting being irreparably ruined.   When your Ownapainting.com painting ships to you, the paint is still not completely dry and will not be completely dry for up to 6 months.  The paint will not flake during this period and it is an ideal time to get the painting stretched and framed. 

Varnish is one last basic way to protect your oil painting.  Varnish protects the painting from dirt, dust, or other environmental pollutants.  However, these varnishes will change the appearance of the painting – it will look different than how it was originally painted.   There are two types available: aerosol (spray) or brush-on. If you are new to varnishing, the spray is probably the best choice (a novice using the brush-on type could end up with visible brush strokes).

Both the spray and brush varnishes come in two different finishes - gloss or matte. The gloss finish gives the painting more of a wet look and dries completely clear. Many of the matte finishes dries with a frosted glass look. Before you use either kind of varnish, it is important that your Ownapainting.com oil painting is completely dry, which can take up to 6 months.