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Art/Technology/Questions Answered by Expert Tom Riddolls M.A.C.
| Subject | Date Asked |
| oil on canvas preservation | 11/5/2011 |
| Q: It is in the original wood frame without any glass or protection. I like it and would like to know ... A: Besides physical damage your picture will likely be very stable for quite some time without much ... | |
| fragile painting oil on canvas | 8/21/2011 |
| Q: This painting has been handed down through the family but no-one knows quite who painted it or where ... A: You did not actually ask your question! I assume you are asking handing and storage issues as that ... | |
| art board | 8/3/2011 |
| Q: Sir, I last spoke with Mr. Vincent about artist board and his information was very helpful, I ... A: Although not called masonite, artists' board has been around for over a century. As I am not a ... | |
| Unsigned Oil Paintings | 7/16/2011 |
| Q: I have a PAIR, of what are to my eye, impressionistic paintings titled "BLOIS ON THE LOIRE" as ... A: This is not my period at all, but what I would do is first look for physical evidence of the artist. ... | |
| where to get valuation | 5/9/2011 |
| Q: i live in brisbane . thank you A: This is a paid service and most museum curators will be uncomfortable giving you any answers. Check ... | |
| Replacing/removing text on an image in Photoshop | 3/21/2011 |
| Q: I am in the process of learning how to use Photoshop, so excuse me for my ignorance. I have two ... A: this is assuming both images are single layers first: use the clone tool to select the gradient and ... | |
| Photoshop CS5 | 3/11/2011 |
| Q: I was wondering if you could help me out. I have an image of myself and an image of smoke. Im going ... A: There is no easy way to do this as you want to put yourself between the black and the white smoke ... | |
| Jim Dine ??? | 2/20/2011 |
| Q: I don't know if this falls into the catgories that you cover, but I was just trying to know exactly ... A: this is outside my area for sure, but I should say that most reproduction techniques (those for ... | |
| Photoshop edit. | 2/14/2011 |
| Q: Okay so I was doing some blogging online and I came across a really cute picture, and I love this ... A: First off "technology and art" is outside of my expertise - but since I happen to be pretty good ... | |
| Oil paint cracked | 2/13/2011 |
| Q: I have a client who was bringing me three oil paintings to be cleaned. He left them in a vehicle ... A: Sudden changes in temperature can certainly cause localized cracking. This is very common in ... | |
| identification of painting and/or artist | 12/17/2010 |
| Q: My wife purchased a framed picture of a lady with a hat at a yard sale for $12.00 about 20 years ... A: I would be interested in looking at this. One of my sidelines is in art fraud and forgery and how ... | |
| How to preserve an oil painting | 11/24/2010 |
| Q: My question is about an old oil painting I have, the paint is starting to peel and flake off in ... A: first i must apologize as this will be brief do to a severe hand injury. Ideally the painting ... | |
| Print or ??? | 10/25/2010 |
| Q: It has a copyright date of 1938 and shows a red farm barn down a land with giant trees on the side ... A: Without seeing it it is very difficult to tell but from what you are describing it sounds like a ... | |
| BELLER 1960's Clown painting | 8/12/2010 |
| Q: We bought this painting in the early 60's in Spain from the artist. I cant seem to find any thing ... A: great painting - no idea the worth but you can see the Spanish heritage in it. Should be of some ... | |
| An old painting | 8/11/2010 |
| Q: I was at Goodwill and saw this painting and bought it. At first I thought it was an art print. ... A: Hard to comment too much without better images. I would first off look at the back - is it on a ... | |
| Artist Signature | 7/23/2010 |
| Q: I have a large oriental painting I've had for over 10 years and I've never been able to figure out ... A: Sorry Lisa but I know nothing of Oriental art and how it was marked. I would begin by looking for a ... | |
| artists signatures | 5/21/2010 |
| Q: How can I discover who was the artist who painted a still life. Is there a site I can browse? A: Sorry can't help you there. There are thousands of artists out there for everyone one known ... | |
| Education | 5/13/2010 |
| Q: Good morning, I am interested in your educational path. What kind of background did you have prior ... A: My education prior to the MA in conservation was a dual BA in art history and studio art. I also ... | |
| Lithograph 15/15 | 4/15/2010 |
| Q: I have a R.C. Gorman Canyon de Chelly Night lithograph that is signed, dated and includes in the ... A: This is not my field, but I will mention that R.C. Gorman was very popular in the 70s and 80s but in ... | |
| ART (no surprise there) | 3/18/2010 |
| Q: I actually have multi questions. About 20 or so years ago my mom and I went "antiquing". My thing ... A: My answer will disappoint as I am not an expert on any of these modern techniques. The Rockwell ... | |
| OIL PAINTS | 3/9/2010 |
| Q: My oil paint tubes are leaking,is there some way to store the paint in another container that will ... A: I have a few tips that may help you. First, remember that oil paints dry through reaction with air, ... | |
| Merida | 2/16/2010 |
| Q: I have a painting which appears to be signed by M. Merida. It is a floral arrangement of poppies. ... A: As I can not see the image I obviously can't say one way or the other but I have never known Merida ... | |
| Paper types | 12/31/2009 |
| Q: Mr. Riddolls, I am a budding self-taught artist--if I may dub myself the honorable title of ... A: The process of making paper requires the use of acid to break down the wood pulp and the archival ... | |
| copyright for raja ravi varma paintings | 11/19/2009 |
| Q: Sir, i m in India, doing postgraduate in fashion designing.i like to re-print old paintings of ... A: First of all I have no first hand experience securing Copyright, Second each country is different. ... | |
| Triple Primed Cotton canvas | 8/28/2009 |
| Q: I recently bought on the Internet, a roll of what was supposed to be triple primed cotton canvas. ... A: I would have to agree with the manufacturer. The word primer does not have a strict definition and ... | |
| No students in Art school | 7/23/2009 |
| Q: In my town there was a art school who closed because of lack of students. I think students are more ... A: The truth is - I can't. I'm not sure I want to get into the matter of if traditional crafts are of ... | |
| Identify original artist | 6/20/2009 |
| Q: Could you please help to identify the attatched photo of an amatuer version copied from a small ... A: Sorry but I can't help with this one other than to suggest you start by talking with curators from ... | |
| Art | 5/7/2009 |
| Q: What is the inner structure or skeleton of a modern skyscraper called? A: The answer depends on who you ask. Generally Skeleton is the term used, but if you ask an Engineer ... | |
| options | 4/24/2009 |
| Q: Im storing a video in a program called LimeWire, but I cant get it onto iTunes. It says go to ... A: Yes, wrong guy, sorry. But what I can tell you is that the sort of information you seek is usually ... | |
| clay models and sculptures | 1/22/2009 |
| Q: what way should i go about making a model hand for my technology project it can be made from any ... A: I once made a model finger (mine) by painting it with a few coats of liquid latex then taking it ... | |
| The Historical Rise of Painting On Canvas (Linen/Hemp) | 11/12/2008 |
| Q: I was curious to know if you might have any leads for a person looking into the historical rise of ... A: This is something I dealt with in Grad school years ago but the details are slipping away... the ... | |
| Who painted?.. | 10/29/2008 |
| Q: i hope you can help. I am trying to find out who painted and the title of this painting. I think ... A: The painting you are thinking of is called "venus at her mirror" also called the Rokeby Venus and ... | |
| Ever used Loew Cornell Painting Pens? | 10/14/2008 |
| Q: I understand you are a conservator but I was wondering if you have had any experience with this ... A: sorry for not getting back to your sooner. I'm afraid I have no experience with this type of pen. ... | |
| Metal Painting | 8/4/2008 |
| Q: Your question was I have a painting of Jesus praying and it has been in my family for years. ... A: A very difficult thing to do. First you must attempt to answer where and when. The cardboard ... | |
| Water Stains on 1904 Litho Print | 8/1/2008 |
| Q: I have what I believe to be a litho print dated 1904 published by Mc Loughlin Bros and titled "The ... A: I would not recommened you try. Paper conservation is without a doubt (to me anyway) the most ... | |
| Lacquered print? Painting? | 5/27/2008 |
| Q: I am trying to find any information I can on the following item: It is what at first glance ... A: as a conservator I can only discuss the materials in any degree of expertise, BUT I have seen many ... | |
| UV Light | 3/31/2008 |
| Q: I'm concerned with the affects of UV light on my art coming through my windows. Do the windo films ... A: Yes they do. Generally all glass films designed for art use will block out 100% of UV. But visible ... | |
| carving | 11/26/2007 |
| Q: I would like to get into carving/sculpting. Can you suggest a solid medium easy to work with? Was ... A: clay- that is the basic medium, it is reusable and relatively clean (water clean up), non-toxic and ... | |
| illustrator questions! | 10/3/2007 |
| Q: .. I have a few illustrator questions that might be a bit basic, but nevertheless... 1. How do you ... A: outside my area of expertise but i do have some experience with illustrator and will suggest a thing ... | |
| art history | 6/25/2007 |
| Q: It is essential to maintain the ______? of a museum that keeps art works in order to prevent damage? A: Don't use the word maintain; use "control". Depends where you are and what you are protecting. ... | |
| wooden "picture" of the california clipper the flying cloud | 6/12/2007 |
| Q: I have a large picture of the above but it's not a picture as such, it's some sort "etching" on a ... A: yes you can e-mail me a picture at tom.riddolls@trcs.ca but i should warn you I am not an expert at ... | |
| uploading artwork | 5/15/2007 |
| Q: iam an oldie mac novice. I have had this mac for a year and only bought it to try and put my ... A: Technically this is outside of my expertise which is the science of art as opposed to the science ... | |
Tom Riddolls M.A.C.
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
As a conservator my focus is on the preservation/care of art objects as opposed to their value. I may assist in the identification of materials used in art making and some of the techniques in traditional art production. Please do not ask me about non-traditional medias such as computer software used to create "modern art". My three areas of specialty are: -European painting and sculpture (1600-1800) -The artifacts and documents of United Empire Loyalist (1770-1850) -Classic Fishing tackle (1850-1960) anything outside these areas may receive vague answers that merely point you in a fruitful direction.
Experience
I am a practising conservator and curator
Education/Credentials
I have a Master's degree in Art Conservation
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