1 Artist Materials and their Archival Stability Care

1 Artist Materials and their Archival Stability Care and Preservation of Modern and Contemporary Art

2 Bachelor of Fine Arts; Studio Art University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon 2014

3 Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management Post-Graduate Diploma Fleming College, Peterborough, ON Ongoing

4 Conservator “a person responsible for the repair and preservation of works of art, buildings, or other things of cultural or environmental interest. ”

5 Agents o f Deter ior a tion From the Canadian Conservation Institute Understand the 10 primary threats to heritage objects and how to detect, block, report, and treat the damage they cause.

6 Fire Pests Water Physica l Force Thieves and Vandals Pollutants Light, UV, and IR Disassociation Incorrect Relative Humidity Incorrect Temperature

7 Traditional Art Materials

8 Components of Arti st Mater ia ls WRITE SOMETHING HERE Pigments Prime pigments to impart colour and opacity Binder A polymer forming a matrix to hold the pigment in place Solvents Filler Used to modify the properties of the liquid paint or dry film Alters the properties of the material Differences in quality and variety of artistic media are dependent not only on the substrate the medium is applied too, but the very composition of that material.

9 Inorganic Pigments Derived from compounds that were never part of living matter Earth Deposits Mineral Treated Fused Metallic Compounds Ex: Yellow Ochre. Ex: Cinnabar Ex: Lead White Ex: Cobalt Blue Mix of clay with silica, tinted by iron deposits which oxidize to give a coloured earth. A red rock, fused from mercury with Sulphur, normally within volcanoes. When sheets of lead are exposed to vinegar, the metal corrodes to form carbonate of lead. The fusion of cobalt and aluminium oxides.

10 Organic Pigments Derived from living substances, or ones part of living things Synthetic Animal Plant Ex: Bone Black Ex: Madder Red Produced by calcining cattle bones, which are pulverized to a fine powder. Roots of the madder plant are warmed with water that has been treated with potash. Organic Ex: Irgazine Yellow

11 Pigments Should Be… • Fast to Light • Resilient to Atmospheric Conditions • Regular in Particle Size • Free of Impurities • Free of Additives

12 4 Quality The quality of artist materials are dependant on four factors.

13 1. Quality of Raw Material High quality pigments - ones that aren’t fugitive or reactive - are used. • Alizarin Crimson still used despite its known fading even though superior pigments are available , such as Quinacridone Red. Expensive pigments – such as cobalts and cadmiums - are hard to maintain supply. • Modern, inexpensive pigments like Phthalo Blue/Green can be used to mimic cobalt blue and viridian. These have strong tinting strengths

14 2. Length of Time Processi Additives more pronounced in cheaper colours • The consistency, tinting strength, and permanence is controlled (and compromised) by excessive additives. • Saves time in processing. Additives are kept to a minimum in expensive colours • Each pigment is worked with to provide optimum realization of that pigment. • Longer processing time.

15 3. Balance in Materials Use Ratio of Pigment, Binder, and Additive • Aluminum Hydrate is relatively transparent, is often used as a filler to cheapen a colour. • Filler adds bulk quantity but not quality.

16 Pigment Binder Additive Artist Quality Student Quality

17 4. Intention in the Market Some materials don’t need absolute permeance. • Gloss house paints don’t need to last forever, they are changed periodically. Hues are imitations to original colours using other pigments • “Close enough” to original colour by using other pigments, are an alternative to high-priced colours. • Can detract from the unique qualities of those pigments. • Example: Cadmium Yellow Hue

Artist Material Binder /Resin Fillers Acrylic Paint Acrylic Polymer Vinyl or PVA for Craft Acrylics Oil Paint Linseed Oil • • • Encaustic Paint Gouache Beeswax Gum Arabic Dextrin • Blanc Fix/Barium Sulphate (achieve opacity and velvety matt) Watercolours Gum Arabic Dextrin (Starch) and Methylcellulose (converted starch) sometime used in school paints. Egg Tempura Pastel Egg Yolk Gum Arabic or Methyl Cellulose Gum Tragacanth (Soft Pastels) Oil Stick Beeswax, synthetic wax, carnauba wax 18 Disponil (wetting agent) Orotan (dispersing agent) Mowil (Stabilising agent) Rohagit (Thickener) Tixogel (swells to form a fat paste consistency) • Aluminum Stearate (forms a gel when workin in linseed oil) • Dextrin (improves smoothness) • Glycerine improves flexibility) • Hydromel (plasticizer makes the film more flexible) • Oxgall (improves the flow) • China Clay (imparts softness) • Talc ( imparts softness, can be more crumbly) • Chalk (makes the stick harder) Drying agents

19 What to Look For

20 Terms Not all terminology is created equally Archival = “suitable quality to be used in archives” • Has no legally binding meaning Acid Free = material has neutral p. H at the time of testing • Does not mean that the material won’t become acidic in the future Lignin Free = the natural bonding material that holds wood fibers together has been mechanically removed. • Won’t discolour yellow over time Lightfastness = describes how resistant to fading a material is when exposed to light.

Label li ng 21 Common Name Colour Index Name Composed of three parts 1. Use 2. Colour PY= Pigment Yellow PO= Pigment Orange PR= Pigment Red PV= Pigment Violet PB= Pigment Blue PG= Pigment Green PBr= Pigment Brown PBk= Pigment Black PM= Pigment Metal 3. PW= Pigment White A Number Lightfastness I = Excellent Lightfastness II = Very Good Light fastness III= Not Satisfactory ASTM Rating • • • D 5098= Standard Specification for Artist's Acrylic Dispersion paints D 4236 = Standard Practice for labeling Art Materials for Chronic Health Hazards D 4032 = Standard Specification for Artist's Oil, Resin-Oil, and Alkyd Paints

Supports: C an vas 22 • Cotton duck canvas is the cheapest option. It varies in quality; loose + lightweight weave (9 -10 oz. ) will shrink when stretched and sized. Tight + heavy weight weave (12 oz) is more stable. • Linen is superior to cotton canvas as the threads are finer and the weave is tighter. When stretched and sized, it is very unlikely to shrink or distort. The best grade is “wet spun” as it results in a smooth surface. Very good overall for durability, strength, and stability. • Pre-Primed and Stretched Canvas, comes in a wide variety of sizes, thicknesses and textures, ranging in quality. For good quality prestretched canvases at an affordable price, look for 7 -ounce cotton primed with acid-free gesso and back-stapled on solid wood stretcher bars. For the next step up, look for linen double-primed and back-stapled on heavy, kiln-dried bars. • Canvas Panels , are cheaper versions of a stretched canvas. They consist of heavy-duty card or wooden press board panels, to which the canvas or linen material is glued. Best ones are wrapped around acidfree boards and stuck with archival glues.

Supports: Pa pe r • Wood Based is cheaper paper made from wood pulp is suitable for disposable work, such as newsprint (which shows signs of deterioration within a few years). • Alpha cellulose paper is made of specially treated wood fibers and is longer-lasting than other wood pulp papers. The quality is often comparable to that of cotton rag papers • Cotton Rag Paper is a high quality paper as the cotton has long cells which are more stable over time. • 100 -percent cotton rag watercolor papers are among the finest art papers and can be purchased through Arches, Fabriano, Saunders Waterford, etc. • Japanese Paper, made from the bast of plants, such as Kozo, which has less lignin, the fibers are long, and is manufactured with few (if not no) additives. • Has superb archival qualities. Is used in conservation for repairs due to its strength, versatility, and lack of reactivity. (It is amazing). 23

Supports: Wo od 24 • Masonite: tempered is treated with paraffin oil and can leave residue (so it needs to be sealed with primer), • Untampered is best. • Is heavy, so bad for large paintings, and tends to warp in larger sizes. • Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF): warp resistant at 12 mm, and moisture resistant. May contain urea-formaldehyde resins. • ZF (Zero Formaldehyde) is available. • Plywood: susceptible to degrees of shrinkage and swelling. May contain formaldehyde which prevents pests, but also off gasses. • Wood panels: Birch or maple panel primed with several coats of acrylic gesso provides an unyielding surface suitable for finely detailed work. • Clayboard panels: This rigid hardboard is coated with fine kaolin clay, producing either a textured or a smooth surface. • Art Board panels: This acrylic-primed panel is suitable for painting with oil or acrylic.

25 Separati ng The material from the support • Sizing creates a thin glue like film that slightly penetrates the canvas weave to form a barrier between the paint and the support. • In Oil paint, usually animal glue. • Primer adds a coat of (usually) white paint of varying absorbency to a support. The primer ensures adhesion of the paint layers to the support and provides the desired texture and undertone for the design layer. • Alkyd Primer: oil-modified alkyd resin that is fast drying and has low toxicity. • Acrylic Primer: acrylic-polymer resin thinned with water, are flexible, durable, non hazardous, and dry to be water-soluble.

26 Digital Art Preservation

Digital Art • Computer generated visual media in a 2 D format – Computer art • Computer generated 3 D still Imagery - 3 D computer graphics • Computer generated imagery – CGI and Computer animation • Digital Installation Art – Video installations and live video capture 27

28 COMPRESSION In order to keep file sizes small, many images are compressed. That means they're processed through an algorithm that strips away unnecessary detail, like pixel-thin edges and minute differences between colors. JPG One of the most common file formats uses this compression. When the image is altered over and over – cropping, uploading, downloading again – tiny losses in detail begin to make a difference. TECHNOLOGY OBSOLESCECE Technology is constantly evolving, rending old storage formats and devices meaningless. FILE SIZES Along with technology degradation, the money and resources needed to contain all that data takes a lot. Especially when they have to be adapted every few years.

29 DOCUMENTATION Describe the work in a way that is independent of any platform or medium so it can be resurrected once its current medium becomes obsolete. MIGRATION Process of transferring data between computer storage types or file formats. EMULATION Emulation can be expensive and inconsistent with the artist’s intent. Modification often occurs when obsolete hardware is executed on different equipment. RECREATION Artists must decide whether they want their works to be translated into media that don’t even exist yet. In 20 years, websites written in HTML may no longer be available.

30 SOLUTIONS TO SAVE DIGITAL ART • Save photographs in RAW instead of JPG; the file is larger but the quality and longevity is better. • Have multiple copies of your data in multiple formats – physical, hard drives, cloud storage, etc. • Keep a master file on your hard drive that you can always come back to and make copies from. • Store a copy of your data off-site. • Regularly back up your data. • Rule of 3; have three copies of your data. Master file for yourself, copy of the master file, and a copy to keep off site.

31 Composite Materials

32 “It’s remarkable how many works of the past half century — because of the degradation of the materials — actually do need conservation already. ” Dr Erma Hermens, Senior Lecturer in Technical Art History at Glasgow University. MINIMAL STYLE

33 In 2006, Starling created a full-scale steel replica of Moore’s Warrior with Shield that was subsequently submerged in Lake Ontario with the intention of attracting and supporting the growth of zebra mussels. The work was pulled from the lake early in 2008, time-worn and mussel-encrusted. Simon Starling, Infestation Piece: Musseled Moore 2008. Zebra mussels, steel. Art Gallery of Ontario.

34 Marc Quinn’s Self, a self-portrait bust cast in eight pints of his own frozen blood. Needs constant refrigeration, humidity, and temperature control. Marc Quinn, Self, 1991. Blood (artist's), liquid silicone, stainless steel, perspex and refrigeration equipment. © Marc Quinn. Photo © Marc Quinn Studio Courtesy White Cube

35 Casey Jenkins spends 28 days knitting from a ball a wool inserted inside her vagina. Casey Jenkins, Casting Off my Womb, 2013, wool Photo: Darwin Visual Arts Association (DVAA)

36 One of Manzoni's friends, the artist Agostino Bonalumi, claimed that the tins are full not of faeces but plaster. The cans are steel, and thus cannot be x-rayed or scanned to determine the contents, and opening a can would cause it to lose its value; thus, the true contents of Artist's Shit are unknown. Artist's Shit (Italian: Merda d'artista), 1961. tin, faeces (? ), Piero Manzoni.

37 Mario Merz, Che fare? (What to do? ), 1968, cooking pot, wax, neon writing. Turin, Galleria d’Arte Moderna. In some cases, due to exhibition requirements, the electrical components of the artist's works have had to be updated by replacing the transformer or lengthening the wires.

38 Monogram has been the brunt of physical forces, such as people sitting on the goat, and angry viewers scribbling on it with ballpoint pen. Robert Rauschenberg, Monogram, 1955 -59, oil, paper, fabric, printed paper, metal, wood, rubber shoe heel, and tennis ball on canvas, oil paints on an embalmed Angora goat, and a tire o wooden platform mounted on four casters. Stockhol, , Moderna Museet. Estate of Robert Rauschenberg/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

39 Groomer is a reference to both the 'grooming' of young girls by older man and the grooming of his own hair which he hasn't got anymore and should just say goodbye to. Eric van Straaten, Groomer, 2012. 3 D print, Polyester

40 STEPS TO AIDE IN THE LONGEVITY OF YOUR WORK DOCUMENT Document your materials, suppliers, and practice. UNDERSTAND DETERIORATION MAINTENANCE Be knowledgeable of your materials to understand how they react. Just because it is in a gallery, does not mean the art won’t degrade over time. Maintenance specific to the art helps longevity.

41 Raene Poisson Website: www. raenepoisson. com Email: raene. poisson@gmail. com Western Development Museum Curatorial Centre 2935 Lorne Avenue Saskatoon, SK S 7 J 0 S 5 Website: www. wdm. ca Phone: ☎ 1. 306. 934. 1400 Email: info@wdm. ca