Unfortunately I don't have a definitive answer here. But the purpose of this website is to be my online portfolio and a place for me to explore my technological creativity. But hey, I'll keep you posted if I find the definitive purpose of life.
The Care of Pictures (1948, repub. 1975) by George L. Stout
While first published in 1948, a surprising amount of the information he presents is still relevant today. Stout writes clearly and engages the reader with his descriptive prose and apt comparisons. Targeted at the non-conservator, he explains the types of damages and the outlines the basic techniques that a conservator would employ to restore a picture to good condition. Helpful illustrations further clarify the various types of deterioration and defects that can come to a painting.
Stout himself was a notable historical figure, a conservator and museum director credited with founding both the first conservation research lab in America and the first art conservation journal in America. He was most well-known, however, for his role as a "Monument Man" during World War II, where he helped recover works of art from repositories and war zones.
This year, I finished my Masters of Liberal Studies, a program that allows you to design your own interdisciplinary courses. I chose to focus on painting conservation, and I researched and wrote about this topic, combining my interests in art materials and art history and exploring new topics like philosophy and women’s studies.
This degree program culminated in the creation of my capstone project, which is published here on this website under the Resources section. Based on the collection of articles and books I read on the topic, I developed a web resource targeted at the interested non-conservator for information about art conservation, both from a materials and from an ethical perspective.
As a paint formulator, I hope that the technical explanations are more detailed than the general information you can generally find online about conservation but not overly specific as to be irrelevant to a non-conservator audience.
Also this year, I focused more on watercolor and drawing, so please take a look at this new artwork.
