What We Do

Painting Conservation and Restoration - It's What We Do

Virginia Art Conservation and Restoration, LLC provides specialized services in the conservation and restoration of paintings for individuals, galleries, universities, museums, auction houses, corporations or insurance companies.

Why it Matters

Paintings can suffer from a range of problems that, if left untreated, can get worse and cause irreparable damage. We perform the restoration of paintings with treatments ranging from cleanings, to the repairs of tears and lining of paintings as necessary.

Who We Are

Conservator Mark E. Wittl has done private restoration work for over 30 years on oil paintings from 16th Century to present day works. All restoration work is done using accepted archival and fully reversible conservation techniques as recommended by the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). Mr. Wittl is listed in the Stanford University Conservation Directory and has restored paintings by the following listed artists and National Academy artists: Winslow Homer, Albert Bierstadt, Antonio Jacobsen, Peter Max, Clementine Hunter, Egisto Ferroni, Walter Farndon, C.D. Williams, George Sheridan Knowles, Maria Szanthos, Walter Biggs, William Hart, Junius Brutus Stearns, Ralph Albert Blakelock and many more.

Examples

Cleanings - Bring Back The Colors The Artist Intended

Cleanings involve the removal of aged and discolored varnish, dirt, grime, smoke or other accretions. Although considered by many to be a benign procedure, improper cleanings by unskilled hands ranks among the most dangerous of restoration processes.

Varnish Removal

Notice how the color comes alive on the right side of the painting where the old, yellowed and discolored varnish has already been removed. The left side of this painting is still badly yellowed by old varnish where it has not yet been removed.

Tears, Backing Removal and Linings

Tears are most common in paintings with brittle canvas. Depending on the severity of the tear, minor ones can often be repaired with verso patches. More severe cases require a lining of the canvas to a new support (re-lining) to provide for a proper foundation.