Still searching, but I did find a link to a fascinating talk about the conservation of watercolours.

Doug

Hi,

You can dry out mold by exposing the painting under the sun for consecutive days but alas mold stains are impossible to take out. I wouldn’t risk selling or giving away a painting with mold stains. It might tarnish your reputation.

Mildew, is this the white hairy stuff you get on exposed paintings during rainy or damp days? Dry it out again by exposing it under the sun for several days. Then use a drafting brush to brush the powder (dried out midlew) off of the painting. It takes patience but be gentle when brushing so you don’t damage your paper’s surface. But be aware that when dampness comes again, mildew might resurface so again, keep the painting if you’re just intending it for yourself. But if you are planning to sell, think twice. You might get a complaint later from your customer.

Best is still prevention. Use only clean water when painting. Wash your containers regularly.

I’ve beat the tendency of framed paintings to get mildew by putting spacers on the back of frames that put distance of at least half an inch (better if 3/4 inch) between the back of the paintings and the walls. I’ve used tacks used to pin maps on boards (the pin that looks like a mini thread spool with a point, cut rubber, glued coins together… you can use anything so long as they are not water absorbing. I think you may have those table corner protectors (kiddieproof corners) available cheaply where you are at. Just stick on the four corners to allow for clearance between the painting back and the wall. It may be placed further in so it won’t be seen when hanged. I advise clients the same. During the rainy season here, we can get really damp air and the dampness seems to get even on interior walls. When the painting back rests on the wall, moisture can travel to your painting making it susceptible to mildew even when framed

.

Good luck.

Karen

Er, this is just my home remedy. Best to consult the professionals if you are planning to restore a valuable painting.

Oh, and don’t keep your paintings under plastic wrap during damp weather. This seems to encourage growth.

Hi Donna,

I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Florida yet but if it gets as humid as it gets here in the Philippines during the rainy season, then the following tips might be helpful.

First, for paintings in progress:
During the rainy season here, it gets very hard to dry a painting because the air can get very saturated with moisture. Even dry paper when exposed to the air becomes moist (even inside the house with closed windows). This trick is for “seemingly” dried painting in progress. Normally, during dry season, I just use tracing paper to cover the painting and keep the dust off the painting surface when I’m not working on it . But during the wet season, sometimes when even the tracing paper gets moist, I would take to using a plastic sheet instead. While plastic may seem waterproof, it is actually still permeable to some moisture… just that it keeps 99 point something percent of it off. Problem is, when the plastic is in contact with the painting, some moisture can get in and this can get trapped and create the perfect atmosphere for mildew growth. The thing to do then is to use spacers to elevate your plastic and keep it from touching the paper of your painting and also this creates a pocket of dry air above your painting. You can use clean bond paper or better yet, scrap watercolor paper to make a cylinder that can stand harmlessly over your painting to act as elevators. I’ve cut out the painting already by the time I took this picture but you’ll get the idea.

So when you place the plastic protector above, it should look like this… tented. This just demonstrates the use of one spacer. But I sometimes would put four or six of them on the painting – specially for bigger paintings – to make sure none of the plastic is in contact with the watercolor paper I am working on.

I haven’t had any problem with mildew since employing this method. Also I’ve taken to using distilled water in my spritzer instead of tap water. Tap water may contain contaminants in it that later breed mildew so I try to minimize all the risks. No prob of using tap water for the wash water, just make sure your water holder gets regular cleaning too so it doesn’t get a slimy film on it… microbio stuff.

K

Is that gator board you are stapling to?

And, what kind of tape are you using?

Here’s how I protect finished and dried unframed paintings for years.

First, I wrap the finished painting in tracing paper. I don’t tape but just rely on fold overs to keep the wrapping in place. I then place this in an envelope I made from cardboard.

Which I would wrap inside several sheets of manila paper.

And after that, I would place the whole thing in a plastic envelope that I made.

This may seem excessive but of all the methods I’ve tried, these seem to protect the painting from moisture damage most effectively.

And I keep the package under the mattress of the spare bed… for no special reason than it is the only flat and out of the way space available that can accomodate lots of flat things. Of course, you’ll have to be alert and be ready to relocate if there’s any chance of bedwetters coming over. hahaha.

Other options…I think you may have archival storage boxes available where you at. Remember the scene in RED DRAGON where Ralph Fiennes views the watercolor of the Red Dragon by William Blake. The painting was in a protective box. I don’t have access to a lot of art and framing materials where I am at so I’m forced to improvise a lot.