Care

Living with your painting

A few small things that keep the canvas lovely for a lifetime.

No. 01

Unrolling, gently

01

Let it settle

Leave the tube closed at room temperature for a day. Canvas and paint arrive with a memory of the trip, and a little rest settles them.
02

Unroll on a clean surface

Painted side up, on a large clean cloth. Handle by the unpainted edges only. If the corners hold their curl, lay it flat under a lightweight, breathable weight overnight.
03

Do not touch the surface

Even clean hands leave oils. The painting is finished with a protective varnish, but the first weeks are gentlest for it.
No. 02

Framing

04

Take it to a framer

Ask for stretcher-bar mounting on the original canvas. Any good local framer knows the technique. Write to the studio first and we will send the exact measurements, the instructions to hand them, and our suggestion on what suits the painting.
05

Frame or float

A floater frame gives a modern edge; a traditional gilded frame gives a heirloom feel. Both are correct. The painting was made to belong wherever you belong.
06

No glass

A hand-painted canvas breathes. Glazing traps the surface and dulls the depth of the brushwork. Frame it open, the way galleries do.
No. 04

Frame styles that suit an oil painting

The same painting, four ways. Send us a photograph of the wall it is going on and we will tell you which of these we would choose, and what to ask your framer for.

Dark walnutWarm and quiet. Disappears into the room and lets the painting carry it.
GildedThe traditional choice for oil. Formal, and it lifts the warm tones in a painting.
Black with a gold lipModern and sharp. Best where the room is already busy.
Pale oakLight and contemporary. Good against a white or pale wall.

Whichever you choose, ask for stretcher-bar mounting on the original canvas and no glass over it. An oil painting is meant to be seen directly.

No. 05

Where to hang

07

Indirect light

Avoid direct sun and strong spotlights. A wall that is bright but never in a shaft of afternoon light is perfect.
08

Steady temperature

Away from radiators, fireplaces, and bathrooms. Canvas prefers the same conditions you do.
09

A soft dust, once a season

A dry, clean, very soft brush. Nothing more. Never a damp cloth, never a solvent, never a spray.

Hand-painted on gallery canvas. Cared for kindly, the painting will outlive us all. Begin a portrait