Whether you’re an art investor or a creator, caring for your paintings is essential to preserving their value. It also shows respect for the effort, heritage, story, and history behind them. Acrylic paintings, more so than other forms of artwork, tend to attract dust. But they can also be easier to maintain as they’re less likely to crack, flake, or lose colour, making them sturdy mediums for artwork. Compared to artwork done on paper, acrylic paintings on stretched canvas are far more durable. This makes them the perfect decoration for your home. In this blog, we will guide you through maintaining your acrylic paintings to ensure they live a long and happy life!
Should you frame your acrylic paintings?
There has been a raging debate in art communities about whether it’s important to frame acrylic paintings. While framing them will definitely provide protection, the acrylic medium is permanent once it dries, and the paint surface is very difficult to damage, which makes framing not an essential step to preserve your artwork. Moreover, the reflective nature of the glass of the frame can distort the perception of the artwork, and there’s always the fear of moisture being trapped under the glass.
Due to these factors, most experts agree that glazing and mounting acrylic paintings under glass are not required. If you truly care about having a frame, getting one without a glass overlay could be a good idea. You could also consider wooden frames, but they tend to bend during the rainy season, which can result in your artwork bending as well. Alternatively, floating frames are also a solid option to outline your canvas without the inclusion of glass.
How to display your acrylic paintings?
The most important thing to know about displaying your artwork is that it’s important to protect it from sunlight. While this blog is specific to acrylic paintings, this advice is relevant for paintings of all sorts. Acrylic paintings can fade when exposed to sunlight for long periods of time. Direct sunlight contains ultraviolet rays, and its intensity can cause discolouration. This is why positioning your artwork away from sunlight and keeping shades closed during the day and noon helps retain pigment.
The changing of seasons can also affect your artwork, which is why keeping your acrylic painting in a space with moderate temperature and humidity will prevent flaking or cracking. High levels of humidity can attract water on the acrylic medium, which causes mold to grow on your painting. This results in surface damage and dirt retention. Taking these precautions will go a long way in elongating the lifespan of your masterpiece.
Also read: Essential Miniature Painting Tools: Must-Have Supplies
How to dust or clean your acrylic paintings?
There are inherent risks involved with dusting or cleaning your acrylic painting because there’s always a chance that the artwork could get damaged. Take down your paintings once or twice a year and dust them regularly. This will help preserve your acrylic paintings and ensure that dust particles aren’t permanently embedded in the artwork.
Industry experts recommend using a soft artists’ paintbrush or soft-bristled brush on your acrylic painting. In order to test the suitability of your brush, you can try it on your wrist, and if you can’t feel the bristles then you’re good to go. You can also consider using a brand-new makeup brush to dust your painting.
If your acrylic painting contains loosely bound elements, it would be a good idea to take it to an art conservator to dust it. Avoid using chemical cleaning products or water on your artwork at all costs, as it could permanently damage it. If you feel that your acrylic painting could benefit from a deep clean, we recommend using the help of an art restorer.
Beware of dampness
Dampness is an enemy of not just acrylic paintings but artwork of all sorts. Checking for discoloration or brown marks at the back of your painting is imperative every now and again to ensure your masterpiece isn’t a victim of dampness. If you can find these marks, change the room in which the painting is hung or control the humidity. Taking timely action at the first sight of dampness can prevent your acrylic painting from deteriorating even further.
To sum it up, your artwork definitely needs love, attention, and care to preserve it for years to come. While we have shared cleaning tips that have been gathered from meticulous research, our advice would be to consult a professional restorer if you are unclear about taking care of your paintings. Art pieces are more than paint thrown on a canvas; they have a story, history, culture, and tremendous effort behind them, and treating them with the respect they deserve is of the utmost importance.
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