Conservators Kwanjit and Suriya Lertsiri visited Collectibles Corner in October 2019 and surveyed our collection. They listed 14 items which needed help and took them in two batches. The first lot of 10 paintings has already been returned (See Before & After Reveals 1-10 in this Chit-Chat journal) but the remaining 4 paintings were only taken away at the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic. At the end of August 2020 the work was completed and now all the art is back at the gallery! Reveal #11 and #12 are posted here in this post, and Reveal #13 and # 14 for the largest items will be posted next.
Reveal #11: Morning Trade by Poj was displayed at Ajarn Somkual’s Gallery in Fashion Island in 2000 and has been particularly popular with foreign visitors because it captures the experience of floating at the market at dawn.
“Before”
Reveal #12: Birds of Illusion by Somkiet Panasirisil was found at Sombat Permpoon Gallery in 1990 and is notable for the auspicious number of birds flying in a formation that creates the illusion of ghost like face peering up from the canvas.
“Before”
Problem: These paintings shared the same problem. The oil paint had become dry and brittle and the entire surface of the paintings showed cracking.
Conservation guidelines
For each painting, chemicals were used to clean the existing varnish – remove the layer of cracked paint and touch up the color. Then it was sealed so the retouching adheres to the canvas thus reducing the surface cracks. A new coat of varnish was then applied. The frame was ckeaned and a back panel added to prevent damage from dust, insects or impact coming from the back.
“After”
Each of these paintings now has a much brighter, fresher appearance!
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