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 Light!
Without it there would be no art. No pretty colors. Nothing. Light is
one of Gods most precious gifts, for everything that we see is because
we have light. It is ironic that light is also one of the most destruction
forces that will ever befall the works of art hanging on walls.
( The above beautiful picture is a small detail of "Autumn Visitors"
by Jim Hansel.
Sunlight is composed of more than just one kind of light ray. There are
color rays that are seen and also many unseen rays such as ultraviolet
rays. Ultraviolet rays can give a beautiful suntan, or cause a bad skin
burn. These are the same rays that turn beautiful works of art into yellowed,
brown, brittle worthless pieces of paper. These rays can turn 100-hour
needlework projects into ruined, faded pieces of cloth.
The damaging effects of the suns rays usually aren’t quickly apparent.
Like sneaky culprits the damage is done little by little over a period
of time. It can go completely unnoticed until one day it is discovered
that the artwork, "looks faded". The damage is completely irreversible
and cannot be repaired. Like on Star Trek, the wonderful colors in the
art get slowly transported away never to be seen again.You would think
that this would spell certain doom for all art but no this is not to be.
Much progress has been made in the last few years to develop fade resistant
inks and stains in the art that is published. These inks are very good
and most of the fine lithographs produced today use them. Many of these
prints are perfectly suitable to have framed using premium clear glass.
Especially in the case of "Open Edition Prints" that are almost
always replaceable.
For more valuable works of art everyone should use "Conservation
Glass". This glass blocks out 97 percent of the ultraviolet rays.
This is the single best thing that can be done to protect beautiful art
from fading. This glass is available in clear or reflection control. It
is somewhat more expensive than premium clear glass.
It is up to the owner of the art to decide what is valuable enough to
warrant using this glass. Most would not bother to use conservation control
glass on a thirty dollar print. At Grignon’s Art and Frame, we always
recommend it for valuable limited edition prints and other irreplaceable
works of art. For example, many women will spend over 100 hours on a piece
of beautiful needlepoint. That should be custom-framed using conservation
control glass.Another example, children’s baby pictures might want
to be framed using conservation control glass. There are many valuable
artifacts that should be custom framed using this glass.
How To Preserve Art
Hang artwork in places that have subdued lighting, not in places where
sunlight falls upon it. Use incandescent lighting to light your artwork.
Custom picture framers sell individual picture lights to light art. These
work great and many of the newer models have dimmer switches with adjustable
lighting.
Don’t hang art in rooms that are flooded with florescent lights.
Florescent lights give off almost as much ultraviolet light as the sun.
In fact, because many rooms are lighted longer with florescent light than
sunlight, the damage can be done sooner using florescent lights. Most
galleries use halogen flood lights on track lighting.One of the best things
that can be done for art is to "rest" it. By this I mean hanging
the art for six months or a year then putting this art into dark storage
for several months. This has many advantages. It really does make any
art last LOTS longer. Most museums use this technique. It also allows
the art to keep that fresh new feeling in mind. Works of art should not
be hung on walls long enough for people to get bored with them!
Another advantage with this technique is that it allows the retailer
to hang more art then there is actual space for. By continuously rotating
the art this way, you are not only preserving the art, but also continuously
making the decor look more fresh and "alive".
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