Care of your work
A painting and a canvas print fail in their own ways. Light fades pigment and humidity slackens canvas. None of that is dramatic if you know it in advance — here is what actually matters.
Original paintings
Hang out of direct sunlight. Sun is the one thing that damages a painting irreversibly and invisibly slowly.
Avoid bathrooms, kitchens and exterior walls that get cold: it is swings in humidity, not humidity itself, that loosen a canvas on its stretcher.
Dust with a dry, soft brush. Never use a damp cloth, never use any cleaning product — a solvent takes varnish and paint together.
Prints and Places canvases
Hang out of direct sunlight. The inks are fade-resistant, but no pigment survives years of direct sun.
A canvas print arrives stretched over its wooden bars and ready to hang. It needs no glass and no mount; a floating frame is a choice, not a requirement.
Avoid bathrooms and cold exterior walls: swings in humidity are what slacken a canvas on its stretcher.
Dust with a dry, soft cloth or brush. Never use water or any cleaning product on the printed surface.
Questions
- Should I frame a canvas print?
- It does not need it: it arrives stretched and ready to hang. The only frame that suits a canvas is a floating one, which leaves a gap around its edge, and that is purely a choice.
- Can I hang a painting in a bathroom?
- It is the worst room in the house for one. Repeated humidity swings loosen canvas on its stretcher and can lift paint over time.
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