Our conservators are hard at work preparing artworks for
African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, which opens April 27. One of the sculptures they have been working on is
Thornbush Blues Totem by John Scott.
Have you ever taken a poster off a wall and found some pieces of foamy tape left behind? That's similar to what is stuck to the base of this sculpture. While the tape might have been added to provide some padding along the bottom edges and sides of the almost 200 pound sculpture, it was not an appropriate choice. The adhesive is bonded to the paint and the foam is deteriorating.
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Left: Tiarna & Hugh discussing treatment options. Right: A white swab shows no damage during a solvent test.
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Objects conservator, Hugh Shockey and Chief of Conservation, Tiarna Doherty (pictured above) came together to test various solvents, looking for one that would safely remove the tape without harming the painted surface of the artwork.
In addition, Hugh used a 3-D digital microscope to view the edge of a tiny paint loss on the surface of the sculpture.
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Left to right: The microscope focused on a small loss; A 3-D rendering of the coating layers; Hugh discussing the results of imaging.
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The microscope produced a high resolution 3-dimensional map of the area and allowed him to take measurements in micrometers or microns (an average human hair is about 98 microns thick). These images provide valuable clues as to the stability of the material as well as its thickness and composition. To the naked eye, I could only distinguish the paint layer directly on the steel but with the aid of the microscope I I could clearly see three layers: the steel substrate, the ground (a preparatory layer to aid with paint adhesion), and the thin red paint on top. To give you an idea of scale, the paint layer combined with the ground underneath only measure about 216 microns.
Be sure to come and see the sculpture in the exhibition after April 27!
-- Mary
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