Conservation Why Conservation? Oil paintings are at great risk from damage by water, fire, vandalism, central heating, damp storage, removal, auction and the normal ageing process. This section enables you to see before, during and after a painting has entered the conservation system. The transformation can be remarkable. At the studio we work on paintings from the 16th century to the present day. As you progress through the illustrated paintings you will see why conservation is so important using modern global friendly techniques. Just click on the images below to get a close-up view Cleaning Conservation Restoration All three phases are important; Conservation is generally considered to be 80% of the overall work undertaken with cleaning and brush restoration 20%. At the studio we estimate the age and origin of the painting to determine the type of canvas support required and the temperature under vacuum later in the process. Our modern system eliminates the massive shrinkage problem created by the old glue and iron liners, our low pressure low temperature process saves the surface and impasto the glue and wax liners can sometimes destroy. Cleaning off the old varnish, atmospheric pollution or over paint is the first job if the paint is not flaking from the canvas. During conservation, matching canvas is cut into badly damaged paintings and stopper is used on small areas of damage. After sealing the stopper, brush restoration and colour matching continues. When the restoration is dry a final varnish is applied.