MPF Conservation restores, conserves and preserves all types of painted objects in their studio in Portland Oregon; this page is concerned mostly with fine art paintings or murals.

Infill painting on a chair shown right.

Kate paints on fabric and on furniture projects, top row below, mostly oil, and often does watercolors of scenes around the studio, shown in the image of Mitchell on the sofa spring deck below.

However, she also has assessed and is available for other types of painted treatments, shown below.

Vanport Mural by Iskaka Shamsud-Din circa 1965

The Vanport Mural depicts the 1948 flood that destroyed homes in the town of Vanport, Oregon, leaving thousands of people homeless and killing many.

MPFC was asked to assess the damage to the mural (oil on canvas) in 2016. Quite a lot of it was dirt and food debris that landed on the mural, but also there were losses. While we would have loved to do the project, the artist is still alive and MPFC suggested that it might be best to have him restore his work! Learn more about Isaka Shamsud-Din and his work on his website.

The reproduction of “Marie Antoinette With a Rose” (1783),
likely circa 1800, left, before treatment, and right, after treatment.

“Marie Antoinette With a Rose” Reproduction

The original painting, “Marie Antoinette With a Rose” (1783), was painted by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842), a French portraitist. The original is in the Metropolitan Museum or Art Collection. It is not unusual for artists to copy great masters in order to learn from them; this painting is an example of that process, likely painted in 1800.

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842), also known as Madame Le Brun, was a French artist, primarily of portraits. Her style was influenced by Rococo and Neoclassical styles.

Our client bought it in New Orleans, and after several years it fell off her wall and was damaged.

The reparation was performed with Gamblin’s Pigmented Wax/Resin (PWR) and a wax carving pencil, which infilled the losses and brought them to the surface level.

After curing, Kate further infilled matching both color and brush patterns. Colors used were Gamblin’s Oil paint in the following pigments: Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Phthalo Green, Warm White, Golden Ochre, Pink Brown, Van Dyke Brown, odd bits of premixed flesh colors, and Galkyd Gel, all blended.

Below are details of some of the larger scratches that were easier to see in web format. Ignore the differences in color as it has to do with the lighting and camera.

Before treatment, left, and after treatment right.

In her own art, Kate has extensive background with acrylics on paper and canvas, above, though Robert Gamblin and Scott Gellatly have enticed her toward oils! She is an Urban Sketcher, sketching on location when she has time in pencil, pen and watercolor, an example of which is shown in the watercolors of the Pittock Mansion (below left) and of NW Wilson below right) in Portland.