Studio Six Art Conservation Has A New Website

We've moved all our latest updates to a new website, and it looks fabulous. 

Here's the link www.StudioSixArtConservation.com

There's lots of new conservation projects to look at and we have expanding our scope to include cleaning and maintenance of public sculpture. 

A Royal Chair Comes Emerges From The Goat Shead

This pile of wood was found in a goat shed in Washington state. The client thought thought it might be 19th Century Chinese throne that was once installed in his childhood home but couldn't recall the last time he saw it in one piece.

Of course storing anything of value in a goat shed is probably not the best of ideas as it will likely result in damage. Fortunately, this chair is constructed of rosewood which is a quite dense and heavy wood and naturally resists rot, bug damage and warping.

Once we started the surface cleaning, we were pleasantly surprised that the wood and the finish were in such nice shape. Of course in part of that due to the wood used.

Conservation Of Reverse Painting On Glass

Reverse Painting on glass is a wonderful painting technique that creates a striking visual impact. Unfortunately a common issue with this technique is delamination and loss of the paint layer. The thin layers of paint peel up like egg shells and break off with the lightest touch.

We began by softening the paint with a light airbrushing of alcohol. This relaxes the paint so it will lay flat without cracking. All the areas of lifting paint were re-attached to the glass using acryloid B72. After curing, missing areas of paint were re-touched to match the original design using acryloid B72 and powdered pigments.

Restoration of Salt Glazed Ceramic Storage Jar

This lovely salt glazed storage jar has a beautiful deep brown glaze with layered colors that range from dark chocolate to cinnamon. Unfortunately it suffered an impact on the rim that resulted in a fairly large loss.  Note the light gray area on the front, right side of the rem.

This is the sort of damage that catches the eye and distracts from the visual enjoyment of the the pots craftsmanship. Fortunately Studio Six was able to fabricate the missing area and retouch it to match the original surface.

The restoration began by filling the missing area with a two part epoxy putty. This fill was carved and sanded to match the shape and texture of the surrounding surface. The fill was then retouched using Rhoplex WS24 and powdered pigments. A base coat of burnt sienna was applied on top of to the fill After curing, layers of toned Rhoplex were applied to matched the translucency and depth of color of the original glaze.

Note, all materials used in this restoration are reversible. The restoration process itself did not scratch or damage the original artifact and the retouching of the fill minimally overlaped the original surface.

The Close Up World of Art Conservation of Public Art

One of the biggest perks of being an art conservator is experiencing works of art in a very up close, personal and physical way. The art conservator's interactions with artwork are offten quite unique and often insightful. 

Posted here are a few snapshots taken while Studio Six surface cleaned some of the public art on view at the DFW Airport.

Restoring The Visual Contour

When viewing figurative sculptures, there are some parts of the human anatomy that if damaged or missing will dramatically alter our emotional response. Missing eyes, lips or limbs can distort the true intent of the artist, transforming a scene of divine rapture into one of torture and torment.

The facial features of this wood carving are scuffed but intact. What catches the eye and distracts the viewer is the figure's missing right breast. The client felt that the missing breast and exposed wood grain inhibited the viewer from seeing the beauty of the sculpture as a whole. So they contacted Studio Six to find out what could be done.

Fortunately, the left breast was intact so Studio Six used it as the model to fabricate the missing right breast.

Fabrication was done using a two part epoxy putty. The putty was sculpted and textured to match the original carved wood surface. Layers of tinted lacquer were applied and then buffed back to match the wear marks visible on the rest of the sculpture.

This restoration is completely reversible, with less than 1/8 of an inch of new paint overlapping the original sculpture.

Public Art and the World Traveler at DFW Airport

The tunnel through Crystal Mountain sculpture at Terminal D.

Time flies. [pun intended! ]  Well it's been well over a year now since Studio Six Art Conservation received the contract for the art maintenance and art conservation at the DFW International Airport Terminal D. As soon as the ink had dried and our security badges cleared, it's been go, go go!

Unlike the work Studio Six undertakes for many museums and private collections, the public sculpture at DFW is different because many of the artworks can be directly accessed by the public.

Works like the Crystal Mountain, shown here, designed by Dennis Oppenheim and fabricated by La Paloma Fine Arts is a two story tall structure with a tunnel through the middle. Formed of thick gauge welded sheets of stainless and accented with colored LED lights, this public sculpture is a huge draw for DFW passengers and employees alike.

While the metal sides have taken their fair share of hits from luggage carts, it's always a surprise to discover what trinkets or foodstuffs the traveling public leaves in the dark recesses of the tunnel. Half eaten candies, rubber bands, paper airplanes, even a few small stuffed animals... you can't help but wonder if the the artist considered this possible accumulation of bits while designing.

On 34 ft. boom lift, using a HEPA filter vacuum to remove the dust. 

And of course there's the dust. Tons of dust. When Studio Six first arrived on the job, so much dust had accumulated on the exterior peaks that it was beginning to look a bit like Spanish moss. It's amazing the amount of dust that accumulates on all of the artwork within Terminal D. A majority of it rides in on every person and bag that enters the terminal.

Of course these days Studio Six performs regular scheduled inspections of Crystal Mountain and regular dustings mostly done from an aerial lift using a HEPA vacuum. And there are routine cleanings that focus on the removal of surface grime left by hundreds of sticky fingers and hands.

Before the First BIG clean.

After cleaning ... MUCH better.

OSHA Certification For Aerial Lifts

With the DFW International Airport Terminal D Art Maintenance contract, Studio Six owner Brad Ford Smith and fellow art handler David Page spent a rainy afternoon training on a variety of arial lifts. 

At the end of the day both Brad and David received their OSHA lift certifications.

Fabricating A New Face Plate

The face plate on this old family heirloom was a bit beyond a face lift. The Bakelite had deteriorated to the point that it was causing the surrounding wood to slit.

So Studio Six fabricated a new face plate. Now its ready to crank out the jams.

A New Face Plate For A Vintage Radio

Sometimes there are projects that are too fun to pass up, and sometimes those fun projects turn into learning experiences.

In the top left corner of the photo is a Bakelite radio faceplate that has severely deteriorated. The white faceplate below it is a cardboard model we made to make a mold from. The proceeding 6 faceplates are the failedcastings. The 7th is the finished faceplate ready to be mounted onto the vintage radio.

And speaking of learning experiences, this post is a test to see if the new Studio Six MailChimp subscription program is functioning correctly.

Dusting Off A Dale Chihuly

As an art conservator, I get the opportunity to work intimately with some pretty wonderful works of art. It's one of the perks of the business. So, how do you get up close and personal with a 19 foot tail blown glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly? Well, first you wait for the sculpture to get really dusty, then you steady your nerves and go after it using a 19 foot electric scissor lift.

While up there I took the unique opportunity to snap a few photos that highlight the lushness of this wonderful material.

Two Delicate Bouquets Not To Be Forgotten

These two petite floral bouquets are carved from elephant ivory with the flower stems made from elephant hair. They are stained with watercolor. All combined, that makes for two very delicate sculptures. The damage you see in the top photo is very common; broken joins and missing pieces. The reconstruction requires the use of dental picks, tweezers and micro drill bits.

There were a few flowers missing, so reconstruction had to take into consideration both the original placement and the option for best visual placement. The end result is two beautiful sculptures that can once again be put on displayed. 

TAM Along The River Walk

The Conservation Roundtable session at 2012 TAM Conference in San Antonio played to a full house. It started with a short powerpoint presentation on what art conservers do, then, with the room set up with five tables with one art conservator at each table the session turned into a movable feast of questions and conservation advice.

When the final bell range ending the session few people were ready to leave, lingering to ask more questions and collect business cards. Over all I would say if was one of the most active and well received sessions at this years conference.

Perhaps, NTAAC will host it again next year when TAM meets in Waco.

Studio Six Part of a Conservation Roundtable

The Texas Association of Museum (TAM) conference starts on Tuesday. This year the 5 day conference is being held down by the River Walk in San Antonio.

Studio Six will be part of the NTAAC session Conservation Roundtable. There will be 5 art conservators sitting at 5 roundtables. Each conservator will be addressing questions that pertains to their field of expertise:

Paper- Tish Brewer - the Center for Art Conservation, Dallas TX
Paintings- Anne Zanikos - Anne Zanikos Art Conservation, San Antonio TX
Textiles- Melanie Sanford - Textile Preservation Services of Texas, Dallas TX
Photographs- Corinne Dune - DBA Photogragh and Paper Conservation Services, San Marcos TX
Furniture- Brad Ford Smith - Studio Six Art Conservation, Dallas TX

Very excited to be on the panel with this group of art conservators.

After The Auditions

The 3 winners of the TEDxSMU Auditions were very solid choices. Belinda Baldwin, Jasmin Brand, and Will Clarke each demonstrated a well crafted comfort with the stage, and presented topics that were intriguing. Each topic could easily be expanded into longer in depth presentations.

Sarah Hodge has posted a complete recap of the evenings presentations. Thanks Sarah for doing that. I mentally missed half of the presenters while trying to calm down from my turn under the spot light.

Here is my totally self absorbed, center of the universe recap of the evening:

From the beginning I did this for the fun, and because it was my way of showing support for TEDxSMU. I have seen how sending out a Call To Artists can result in lack luster returns in both quality and quantity. Happily in this case, TEDxSMU did end up with over 50 applicants. Dallas does have a lot of engaging topics and dynamic people.

Each of the 13 presenters approached the microphone differently. Some had that envious natural ease, some followed learned presentation techniques, some approached it as a short performance, 3 minutes on the dot. And some, well 3 minutes can be a long time.

Personally, I followed the school of practice, practice, practice. I practiced until all my cats ran out of the house. Then I went down to the railroad bridge not to through myself off, but to practiced some more.

Reflecting back on my performance, I can see where the text lacked clarity, and where I verbally stumbled due to technical issues. Sense part of me seems to enjoy this form of punishment, maybe I should seriously educate myself in the art of public annunciation.

Tick Tock the TEDxSMU Auditions Clock

Here is the itinerary for tonight's TEDxSMU Auditions. Thank god I"m not going last, but on the other hand, most of my friends are well known for running late...

Brad Ford Smith                "What People Reach For When Things Fall Apart"

Christian Genco                "Outsource Your Brain: Why Everyone Needs to Learn How to Program."

Golbahar Dadyan             "Unlocking the Creative Genius: Living the Dream Circuit"

Jon Eric Fountain              "Follow My Heels"

Will Clarke                           "Seeing Through The Haze: Why Do We Haze?"

RJ Daum                               "Wild Mustangs, Wild Life"

Short Break- music

Sean Springer                    "Making Good Product: Inspirations, Sensations and Values"

Stacy Cherones                 "Make Cafeterias Complete"

Jasmin  Brand                    "What Ike Turner & Social Media Have in Common"

Belinda Baldwin                "The Power of You"

Darren Collins                    "Disaster Relief Housing: A Clown's Perspective"

There will be a short intro of each speaker- just name and talk title.

Each speaker will only have 3 minutes. Anyone that goes over 3 minutes will be pulled off the stage, but in a fun way :)

Doors open at 6:00 and we will begin the program at 7:00. We will have one short break with live music by Kerri Arista. She will also perform at the end while we are counting ballots and the judges deliberate. A winner will be announced that night.

We strongly urge any additional guests buy their ticket online since we will only be selling tickets at the door if we don’t sell out before. Ticket link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2042078913/mcivte

TEDxSMU Auditions

On October 11th I'll be giving a short 3 minute presentation: What People Reach For When Things Fall Apart. 

Its part of the TEDxSMU auditions, a chance to be part of the longer presentation/program in December, that's why it's only 3 minutes long. Each of the 13 presenters will have to boil down a 20 minute lecture into a short, concise teaser. Pretty hard when you love talking about your topic.

I'll be talking about how art conservators get a unique opportunity to see how people solve problems. There will be images of duct tape wrapped legs, Candle sticks tied up in red ribbon, pools of glue and of course lots of things nails but not really together.

I asked several members of the North Texas Association for Art Conservation (NTAAC) for photos to include in this presentation. Thanks Melanie at Textile Preservation Services of Texas, Tish at the Center for Art Conservation, and Cher at Art Restorations Inc, your contributions are wonderful.

The event is open to the public. You will help select who goes on to present in December.
More info and tickets click HERE

Rediscovering A Lost City

This is the front panel of a wood wedding chest. Over the years the wood has shrunk and expanded with the variations in temperature and humidity. This is the nature of wood. Unfortunately when the surface is painted that paint tends to suffer. In this case the natural gesso and oil painted delaminated, leading to heavy loses to the painted design.

The delaminating paint was consolidated with Acryliod B72. The missing areas were then retouched with Rhoplex WS24, powdered pigments and Golden fluid acrylics. The retouching was limited to just the missing areas. None of the original design was painted over, and the treatment is also reversible.

Up Lifting View From Texas Museums

I just got back from the 2011 Texas Association of Museum Conference. 3 days of lectures, group discussions and workshops with 388 people that work in museums from across the state, museums like the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, as well as hundreds of smaller historic museums, historic parks, historic houses, culture centers, libraries, and foundations.

Between the sessions a lot of the coffee talk was about the resent cuts to the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Texas Historical Commission, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife. That said, the overall atmosphere of the conference was upbeat, with sessions focusing on Do it yourself public relations, Developing partnerships and Resource building. A Yes this sucks, and it's going to continue to suck, so let's make the best of it attitude prevailed. I for one, came away invigorated by the commoratery and the positive problem solving attitudes.

Next year, the TAM conference with be in San Antonio, March 27-30th. I'll be participating as part of an Art Conservation roundtable. More on that next March.

Pinpoint Clamping

Not all objects are simple to put back together. There are bulges, curves, and pointy bits require special clamping consideration. Sometimes we have to create custom clamping blocks, or in this case, borrow a clamping technique used in the construction of violins.

A temporary weighted table is constructed. The curvy object like this bowl, is placed below. Long wood dowels are wedged between the table and the object.

Each dowel applies a slight pressure to a pinpoint area. As more dowels are added the pressure builds in volume and scope.