Preserving Pastel Artwork?

Question

I have 12 beautiful Pastel portraitures and am kind of
worried about their proper care and preservation. I
have very little knowledge in this area, but have
learned not to use a fixative because the sheen and
brightness of the art is often lost. I am looking for
the most economical means to acheive a museum like
state of preservation. I am in northern CA if that helps, but I am looking for professional help. Can anyone recommend someone that can help me in this endeavor.

Answer 1

Hi:

I am a pastel artist. To store them, it is recommended to lay them flat, with sheets of glassine between them. Be very careful not to move them around or slide them, but you should be able to put pressure on them as long as there isn't movement.

To frame them, it is usually recommended that you have a small airspace between the surface and the glass. Always, pastels should be framed under glass, and museum glass is the best. You can use some linen mats, and have an underliner mat that isn't visible from the front surface that will allow any loose pastel particles to disappear behind the main mats. You'll need some backer board, probably made from museum board or acid-free mat board.

Check out the International Pastel Society's website, and its sister societies for possibly more information on how to store or frame. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Personally I've never had a problem with fixatives. They don't affect the colours and, well, pastels aren't really sheen-y. If you're unsure do a test. With the same paper and pastels make a bunch of different smudges of colour and texture and use a fixative to see how it turns out.

The only other way I can think of is to keep them framed behind glass. You'd have to use mat board, or something else to space it, to keep it from touching the glass.