Cleaning Tips For An Abstract Canvas

It doesn't matter if your abstract canvas is expensive or not, you should still take care of your painting properly. You bought your artwork because the image on the canvas meant something to you or you connected with the artwork somehow. You can continue to enjoy viewing your painting for a long time if you take care of it well and clean it every so often.

Cleaning Solutions And Equipment

Cleaning oil paintings is a risky task. If done incorrectly, you risk ruining an expensive piece of artwork that may not be restored again. It is important to use the proper cleaning solutions and cleaning equipment to ensure the safety of your abstract canvas.

Some things you will need to get an oil painting cleaned are varnish remover, emulsion solution, varnish, Q-tips and cotton swabs, a neutralizer and gloves to protect your hands from chemicals.

The neutralizer stops another chemical's effects in case painting reacts negatively to a chemical. The emulsion cleaner gets dirt off the surface. The varnish remover will strip off old varnish that may have discolored already.

How To Clean Oil Abstract Paintings

Begin cleaning your painting in one corner and clean off only a small portion. Wait a few minutes to see if there are any negative effects on the abstract canvas. If there are none, continue using the emulsion or varnish remover to clean your painting.

Don't forget to do your cleaning in a well-ventilated your home to let toxic odor and chemicals escape from your vicinity. Use the gloves to protect your hands too. Another thing to remember is to prevent damage or dents on the canvas by gently applying the cleaning agent. Never push the Q-tips too hard or scrub the cotton swab on the surface.

Another technique to remember is to roll the Q-tips along the painting's surface. Don't rub the canvas up and down to get dirt out. The old varnish or dirt should attach itself to the cotton without scrubbing the surface. Check your Q-tips for paint transfer. If there is paint transferring to the cotton, stop the cleaning process immediately and refer the project to a professional.

Clean small areas at a time so you can monitor the cleaning process slowly. This prevents large-scale damage to you abstract canvas in case you use the wrong cleaning techniques. Not all oil paintings react the same way to cleaning solutions.

After getting the whole canvas cleaned, wait fr the surface to dry and then apply a coat of varnish. The new varnish will add sheen and protect the artwork from damage.

Maintenance Tips For Your Abstract Canvas

To prevent damage to a painting, keep the artwork hung on a wall if you can. This gets the artwork out of harm's way. Hang the painting away from heat and direct sunlight that can cause fading and deterioration to the canvas.

Humid environments should likewise be avoided. Too much moisture can cause molds to grow on your artwork. Check the back of your canvas every now and then for molds growing behind the front panel.

If you find dents on your painting's surface, wet the dented portion with a moist clean rag dipped in water and allow it to dry naturally. The canvas will stretch as it dries making the dent disappear.

If properly cared for, your abstract canvas can last many years, even decades. Oil paintings are also known to last centuries. You can make your canvas wall art last long enough for your children to enjoy and use them in their own homes.

Find a wide collection of canvas wall art at EverythingWallArt.com and discoverer countless choices of wall art, in different painting styles.

View the original article here

Abstract Canvas Art

Many people try to understand abstract art and walk away frustrated at the attempt. It will help to understand something about the history of abstract canvas art and how it first began, thus gaining a perspective of its philosophical and cultural origins. Abstract art has also been referred to as non-objective art.

Beginning at the time of the Post Impressionists, Gauguin and Van Gogh and other painters were endeavoring to put their inner world, as well as nature, on canvas. Since the time of the Renaissance, artist had expressed visible reality and linear perspective in painting. With the advance of technology and changes in science and philosophical views, at the end of the 19th century artists were now seeking a new way to express these changes in their art.

An early reaction to the Impressionists art movement was Expressionism, the bold use of painting in distorted imagery with intense color and often shocking forms of known objects. Examples of this art can be found in the paintings of Edvard Munch in "The Scream" painted in 1893 or in the art of James Ensor. Although a mostly German movement in the beginning, some artists influenced by Expressionism were Van Gogh, Oscar Koskoschka, Mark Chagall, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Also in the late 19th century, Mysticism and the beginnings of modern religious thought had a profound influence on painters who later turned to abstracting images.

At the beginning of the 20th century and with the advent of World War I, artists were beginning to express emotions and the violence around them. The language of painting began using lines that were exaggerated, colors that were violent and forms that were distorted and thus the beginnings of abstract canvas art. George Braques began painting images that were faceted in order to paint the essence of an object. Picasso also joined in geometric shaping, and Piet Mondrian painted almost pure abstraction using line and geometric shapes. Leger, Kandinsky, Chagall and others added emotion to create abstracted work that was only partially based on reality, and the abstracted image became the source of art. Later, Picasso went somewhat further in abstracting with shapes and line and paintings such as "Guernica" contained an abstracted world of violence and chaos in war ravaged Europe.

Abstract canvas art, after World War II, was further popularized through the Abstract Expressionists. Artists such as Jackson Pollack went beyond just expressing emotion through images, by painting freely without control, as evidenced in his splatter paintings. Art started to express the spiritual as well, and artists began to paint color relationships and movement and depth, as the act of painting in itself became the theme of Pollack and Franz Kline. Mark Rothko began as a Surrealist and later painted compositions of squares in color relationships. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, color, lyrical movement, the transcendental and the timeless have been ongoing themes in abstract canvas art. Line, shape, color, and brush stroke define abstract art and make it the pleasure or pain of the viewer to interpret.

View the original article here

Advantages of Canvas Wall Art Over Lithographs and Photos Printed On Paper

Canvas wall art are becoming more popular because of their durability and ability to maintain vibrant colors over decades. Traditionally, pictures are printed on photo paper or printed as lithographs that are used as wall art. Here are some advantages of canvas paintings over other types of wall art:

Lithography is an old method of printing large photos. They require framing and placing glass over the picture to protect the lithograph from harmful elements in the air which include humidity, moisture, and dust. Images on canvas are protected with varnish top of the image that prevents moisture damage, UV damage and dust from collecting on the surface. These days, lithographs are now more ideal for printing business cards and invitations rather than for wall decor.

Art on canvas are more durable than photos printed on paper. Lithographs need a lot of care and are sensitive to rough handling. Canvas wall art are durable and can last for decades and sometimes centuries. Lithographs will fade and discolor over time. Exposing lithographs to sunlight or UV rays can hasten deterioration too. Although canvas wall art should be kept away from direct sunlight also, they are more resistant to UV damage.

Paintings on canvas are stretched on gallery wrapped canvas and can cost about $100 to $200. They often come ready-to-hang and do not need frames or glass for protection. Lithographs and ordinary pictures on paper will have to be framed and protected with glass. Although Lithographs can cost $100 or lower, the cost of the frame and glass can go well over $100.

Aesthetically, large canvas paintings look very impressive on one's wall. The gallery wrapped canvas make them look very suitable for either classy and sophisticated interiors or casual homes. Like the name suggests, they can make your home look like a modern art gallery. Framing artwork can be tricky and will involve using various types of frames and mats unless you have all your artwork framed and matted at the same time.

If you are thinking of convenience, many galleries or online art stores can offer countless canvas wall art in any size or shape you want. Photos printed on paper are typically printed on standard sized photo paper that don't usually go over 8" x 11". Large canvas art sets can be as large as windows.

Large art sets consist of 2 to over 6 pieces and is a convenient way to decorate a big empty wall. If you were to use small framed pictures, you would have to gather, mat, frame, and mount dozens of photos to cover a big wall.

Find a wide collection of canvas wall art at EverythingWallArt.com and discoverer countless choices of wall art, in different painting styles.

View the original article here