by Jane Sutherland

Protecting a Mural

I am doing a trompe l’oeil mural that will be displayed in an area where children can touch it. Do you have any recommendations for the types of paint and protective coatings I should use? I am concerned with both durability and green issues.

Two coats of varnish will ensure the durability of a mural. First, apply an isolation barrier to seal the painting and separate it from the final protective varnish. Wait at least two days between applying the isolation coat and the final varnish coat. The final coat should be lightfast as well as resistant to moisture and pollutants. It can be a matte or gloss finish, or the two can be mixed to create an in-between type of coating. Most products offer application by brush or spray. Although spray varnishing may be more efficient, it is a health and fire hazard without proper ventilation and prevention, specifically a window exhaust to draw out the harmful mist and a vapor respirator for personal protection. Not all varnishes are reversible, but using a varnish with mineral spirits and aromatic solvents makes it possible to remove graffiti and other marks made on the mural. Be sure to apply varnish on a cool, dry day (temperatures between 65 degrees and 75 degrees).

Safety laws enacted in the early 1970s restricted paint products made in the United States that pose a known health hazard to children and adults. The culprit, white lead in linseed oil, was a common paint used by artists to prime canvases and by the industrial-paint market for use on residential housing, furniture, and toys. The danger associated with white lead is the potential for small children to eat paint chips from peeling paint or for artists to ingest the toxic substance if they don’t wash their hands before eating. (Note: The recent recall of children’s toys manufactured in China was largely caused by the use of paint containing lead). It is always important to be vigilant about checking labels on paint containers and to wash hands after working.

Cleaning Old Oil Paintings

I have to clean a painting that is very dirty from years of exposure to cigarette smoke. It is about 35 years old and was never varnished. I’ve tried mild liquid soap and mineral spirits, but I suspect that the tars have soaked into the painting. Is there anything else that might remove the dirty, yellow film?

Sometimes the greasy deposits left on a painting from cigarette smoke or soot can be removed with swabs that are lightly dampened with distilled water. Hydrogen peroxide also removes strong stains. Throughout the history of artwork cleaning, restorers have employed various methods and formulas to remove dirt and stains, including dampening the swab with saliva (the enzymes are thought to be effective in removing dirt and some oils). No one system of cleaning paintings is necessarily right. The process is delicate, and the inappropriate use or type of material can further damage the painting. In general, the restoration of a painting is best left to a trained conservator.

Preventing Toxic Contamination

I live in an area where homes have private wells and septic fields. When I clean my paintbrushes in the sink, is there a danger that the residue from the paint brushes will eventually contaminate the water supply?

Cleaning brushes with a toxic solvent in any sink, whether it’s connected to a private well, septic field, or to city/town water, puts toxins into the water-supply system, which is illegal and dangerous. To avoid the hazard, follow the method that many studio art classes and schools use to clean oil-paint brushes: First, rinse the brushes in solvent and wipe off any excess paint on a paper towel or rag. Put a small amount of Murphy Oil Soap, kitchen soap, or nontoxic brush cleaner in the palm of your hand and rub each brush into the cleaner in a circular motion. Rinse them briefly in a tub of tap water and leave to dry. Fix the brush hairs in place and add a bit of Vaseline if they do not retain their shape. Be sure to keep soiled rags and sludge from used solvents in separate, fire-safe, sealed metal containers. Consult your local recycling center or fire station for disposal information. Although this process may seem cumbersome, the good news is that one needn’t use toxic products when cleaning his or her supplies. Turpentine is just about the only hazardous waste left in the painting studio, and lead is the only toxic pigment that is still used occasionally by painters.

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Comments

Can anyone tell me about an artist named Le Roy. I have an old turn of the century painting by him/her maybe older of swans on a lake. Looks like a southern painting with maybe lavender westeria in the trees. It is in an old wood frame apainted gold, the frame needs some repair but the painting is beautiful.

I do smoke painting on tiles.

I would like to know which fixative agent should I use and how?