Click to see short video of interesting projects and capabilities
Fine Art Conservation Laboratories specializes in the preservation and restoration of paintings on canvas and board, on murals and we do limited art conservation work with art on paper. For particular problems with your paintings, see the links at the end of this article…
Scott M. Haskins has been working professionally as a painting conservator since 1975. Having trained and worked in Italy for years, he returned to the US (Rocky Mountains) in 1979 to head up the art conservation laboratory at Brigham Young University. In 1984, he moved back to his native Southern California and settled in Santa Barbara, thankful to leave a very harsh winter!
Clients willingly associate with FACL, Inc. on a long distance basis, and so the lab provides professional painting conservation services over a wide geographical region. Click here for Testimonials.
Three art restorers work together as a team to ensure good problem solving, quality control and a good turn around schedule. All professional art conservators are members of the American Institute for Art Conservation and embrace the professional Standards of Practice and ethics guidelines. Together with Scott M. Haskins…
Virginia Panizzon has been working at FACL since she was 8 years old (she is Scott’s 38 year old daughter). In addition to the apprenticeship process she has gone through, she worked in Italy for 2 years on a professional art conservation exchange and has taken advanced professional training courses in structural work on paintings and for advanced inpainting techniques.
Oriana Montemurro is an Italian trained art conservator from Turin, Italy who has worked with FACL since 2002.
This painting by William Wendt was cleaned, cracks reduced and newly varnished for Bonhams Auction House and then sold for $1.4 million
Links of interest:
Click on this link to see a short video lab tour:
http://www.FineArtConservationLab.com
Cleaning an oil painting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DSzHcEBZ40
Rip repair on oil painting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Jxozdtl0w
Water Damaged Art – Mold (by our client in Las Vegas):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_YupoIRRcs
Smoke damaged art: http://www.fineartconservationlab.com/in-lab/hopeless-smoke-damaged-paintings-given-new-life-3-valuable-tips/
Video testimonials of paintings and mural restoration:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL41D80C1C65FF2CE7
Written testimonials: http://www.fineartconservationlab.com/testimonials/
Expert witness on art related matters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oeNfXQ26mM
More legal testimony on art related matters:
http://www.fineartconservationlab.com/art-damage-expert-witness-and-legal-testimony/
Teamwork at FACL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIkMMWRy58k
Badly damaged in a fire, this 1880’s French Old Master painting
was resurrected and returned to fine condition for a Chinese client in Shanghai.
FAQ’s
Do you appraise art? It is unethical for a professional art conservation business to make statements of value of artwork because of the many ways there can be a conflict of interest. Stating the value of an item so that the favorable decision will be made to undertake the conservation costs is considered unethical. In fact it is common all over the world for dealers and art restorers to low-ball the value of an item brought in for restoration in order to buy it. Then they fix it up and resell it to the disadvantage of the previous owner: quite a racquet. We refer all interested people in appraisals to an independent certified appraiser with whom we collaborate to affirm condition and authenticity details and aid in the appraisal process and research.
Can you authenticate a painting? We are well known for our “entry level” analytical tests that we perform. These tests include inspection with a stereo binocular microscope, pigment analysis with a polarizing microscope, use of ultraviolet visible fluorescence, use of an infrared reflectometer, use of x-radiography. We identify fake signatures often, identify improper restorations, and many other such problems. But we do not affirm the authorship of artwork. This type of work is done involving scholarship and research. Also, more sophisticated analysis is not done in our lab. We charge $200 per hour for in lab work PLUS additional fees for equipment usage.
How much does it cost to clean a painting? Because paintings are made with different techniques, many artist’s experimented, age makes a difference, previous restorations complicate issues… cleaning is not a per square inch type of estimating process. We routinely clean a 24″ x 30″ painting for about $300.00 but we have charged as much as $10,000 for a very complicated project. We had the 40 Missions of California by Henry Chapman Ford (painted between 1874 – 1886) in our lab and every one was cleaned differently. A small test is needed to help determine the time required and the potential benefits from cleaning. We do not charge for these types of tests.
Contact info
Scott M. Haskins, Head of Conservation
805 564 3438 faclartdoc@gmail.com
If you would like to know more about what you can do to protect and preserve your original family history items, collectibles and memorabilia click on this link for a free copy of Scott M. Haskins book Save Your Stuff – Collection Care Tips, 210 pages with 35 embedded how-to videos.
CLICK HERE for our YouTube channel – Subscribe! See quick
video on Discovering Hidden Signatures on Paintings!
Articles Blogs & Videos 
Leave a comment