West Lake Conservators: The Art of Bringing Paintings Back to Life

How do you repair an old painting when it gets damaged? What can you do if it’s so covered in dirty varnish that you have difficulty seeing its details? In conjunction with the current artwork exhibit at the Onondaga Historical Museum, A Life in Art: A Highlight of Women Artists in OHA’s Collections, Susan Blakney of West Lake Conservators will discuss how the conservation studio addressed these and other problems. In particular, Ms. Blakney will discuss how they turned the damaged and dirty Landscape with a Stag by Charlotte Brigham – a painting featured in the exhibit (seen on this page) –into a beautiful, vibrant painting. Ms. Blakney’s talk will also discuss several of OHA’s other artworks that have been restored. The presentation will be held in the auditorium of the Onondaga Historical Association Museum on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at 1:00pm.

Located in Skaneateles West Lake Conservators was founded by Susan Blakney in 1975 and is nationally recognized in the conservation of historic artwork. Ms. Blakney is a Fellow of both the American (AIC) and International (IIC) Institutes for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

West Lake’s presentation is part of a series of lectures sponsored by OHA while the museum displays A Life in Art: A Highlight of Women Artists in OHA’s Collections, an array of artwork created by women artists from the 1830s-1990s.