Kept Art Restoration

A Long Overdue Thanks
Roughly six week ago I called Elisa because I had some questions for a side project on printed/​paper art restoration. I am not a formally trained artist or conservator, thus I did not know what I did not know. Elisa spent nearly forty minutes of her time gladly giving me an art history crash course and research avenues for self education. I could not thank her enough and I immensely enjoyed our conversation.

I inherited a tremendous cache of artwork when my grandmother passed. Many of these are family works of tremendous sentimental value, and some are by southwest artists and may be of some significant value to the right collector. Most pieces had been exposed to cigarette smoke and cleaning /​waxing care typical of the mid 20^th century. As I sorted through it all, it became clear that I needed professional cleaning and restoration. Elisa Stewart of Kept Art Restoration came to the rescue. to date she has cleaned restored and stabilized three oil paintings on canvas, and a small piece directly on wood. all of the results have far and away exceeded my wildest expectations. Elisa takes meticulous records of every step of the restoration. The report, with photos, accompanies each piece, along with all original materials, from, hardware, documentation.
In the case of the canvas pictured, she did an amazing job of peeling back the layers of time and revealing the vibrant colors beneath. She also discovered the date accompanying the signature, that had been covered by my grandmother or my great grandmother (vanity!) In addition to restoring the image, her care and skill in repairing small holes in the canvas was flawless. In the end, we have a lasting portrait of my grandmother as a young woman that we can pass on to the next generation.
On pieces where restoration or retouching is necessary, Elisa is extremely careful, and approaches the job with high ethical standards. The retouching has been invisible to my eye, and yet, is performed in such a way as to be completely reversible if a future owner/​restorer so desires. She can tell you the details of the process.
Proper art cleaning and restoration takes time, and is costly. But the results are all that matter, and I have been very happy with the results and the value of Elisa’s work. I look forward to working with her for years to come.