People ask me, after they bring a painting home, "Sam, how do I take care of it?" It is a good question, and the answer is simpler than most people fear. An oil painting is tough. Museums hold oils that are hundreds of years old and still full of color. But a few simple habits make the difference between a painting that fades and cracks, and one your grandchildren hang in their own homes.
I paint original oils in Riverside, California. Here is the care I give my own work in the studio, and what I tell every collector.
Keep it out of direct sun
This is rule one, and it matters more than everything else together. Direct sunlight is hard on any painting. Over months and years it can fade pigments and heat the surface until the paint ages before its time.
Hang your painting where it gets good light, but not a direct beam for hours a day. A wall that catches bright indirect light is perfect — the colors stay alive and you can actually see the texture without glare. If a room has strong afternoon sun, pull a sheer curtain during those hours, or choose a wall to the side of the window instead of across from it.
My Desert Sun is about desert light, but even it should not live in desert light all day. The painting carries the sun so your wall does not have to.
Dust gently, and never spray it
Dust settles on a painting the same way it settles on a shelf. Once in a while, dust it with a soft, dry brush — a clean natural-hair brush or a feather duster. Use light strokes, top to bottom. Do not press.
Never spray a painting with water, glass cleaner, or furniture polish. Oil paint does not want household chemicals. If a painting ever gets truly dirty — smoke, grease, years of grime — that is a job for a professional conservator, not a sponge. A professional cleaning every decade or two is normal for a valued piece.
Watch humidity and heat
Oil paintings like the same air you like: steady, moderate, not too wet and not bone dry. Avoid hanging one directly above a working fireplace, next to a shower wall, or in a damp basement. Big swings make canvas and wood expand and contract, and over years that movement can crack paint.
A normal living room, bedroom, or office is fine. My Three Fishes, 48 by 48 inches in oil on wood panel, hangs happily in a living room — wood panel is stable, and a steady room keeps it that way.
Handle it by the frame, hang it right
When you move a painting, carry it with two hands on the sides of the frame or stretcher, never by pressing on the canvas front and back. Canvas gives under your fingers, and that flexing is how cracks start.
Hang it on proper picture hooks into solid wall, not a single small nail, especially for larger work. Lean the painting very slightly forward at the top if you can — many hangers do this naturally — so dust falls less on the surface and light reflects down instead of into your eyes. And leave a little space between painting and wall so air can move behind it.
About varnish
Varnish is the clear protective layer on many finished oils. It brings out the depth of the color and guards the paint underneath. Over very long periods it can yellow a little, which is why conservators sometimes replace it — planned care, not damage. When you buy from me, ask whether the piece is varnished; I will tell you honestly.
A smaller piece like Golden Face, 24 by 30 inches, asks almost nothing beyond the sun and dust rules above. An original is not fragile. It is made to live with you.
Think of it as an heirloom
I sign every painting because I expect it to outlast me. Oil on good canvas or wood, kept out of harsh sun, dusted with a soft brush, and hung in a steady room, will be passed down — the colors your family sees in fifty years are the colors leaving my studio today.
Care for it simply, live with it daily, and do not be afraid of it. A painting is happiest on a wall, in a real home, being looked at. That is what it was made for.
Looking for the right piece for your wall? Write to me at [email protected] — tell me about your room and I will help you find the painting that belongs there, and tell you exactly how to care for it.