Whitten & Proctor Fine Art Conservation

Restoration

Oil Painting Restoration in Houston

A darkened family portrait, a torn canvas, a painting that came through a flood — when people look for painting restoration, this is usually what they mean. It is exactly the work our studio does every day, performed to the standards of museum conservation.

Restoration and conservation describe the same care from two directions. Restoration is what you see: the painting returned closer to its intended appearance. Conservation is how we get there — testing before treating, using stable materials a future conservator could remove, confining every intervention to where it is needed, and documenting each step. Our conservators trained in the conservation departments of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and they bring the same standard to a beloved family painting as to a museum loan.

In practice, that means your painting is never "touched up" — it is examined, understood, and treated. And it means the work holds up: properly restored paintings do not darken, yellow, or betray their repairs a decade later.

What does your painting need?

The painting looks yellow, dark, or dull Cleaning and varnish removal — lifting grime and aged varnish to bring the colors back. The canvas is torn, punctured, or dented Structural repair, including thread-by-thread reweaving of tears. Paint is missing, flaking, or badly overpainted Consolidation of flaking paint, then filling and retouching confined to the losses. Water, mold, fire, or smoke damage Prioritized damage response — call 713-426-0191 before attempting anything. You’re not sure what it needs Examination and a written condition report, with a treatment proposal if warranted.

Do you restore paintings that aren’t famous or valuable?

Yes — much of our work is family paintings, inherited portraits, and works whose value is personal. Every painting in the studio receives the same materials and the same care; the difference is only in scale.

What is the difference between restoration and conservation?

Restoration returns a damaged painting closer to its intended appearance. Conservation is the wider professional discipline that contains it — examination, documentation, preventive care, and treatment with reversible materials under a code of ethics. At our studio, restoration is always performed as conservation.

Can a badly damaged painting be restored?

More often than owners expect. Tears can be rejoined, losses filled and retouched, discolored varnish removed, water, mold, and smoke damage stabilized and treated. The honest answer for your painting starts with photographs — send them and we will tell you what we see.

Do you serve areas outside Houston?

Yes. Collectors and institutions across Texas and beyond ship works to the studio or arrange on-site visits, and we regularly examine and treat works from outside the city. Contact us before shipping and we will advise on packing and receiving.

The first step costs nothing: send us photographs of your painting — an overall view in daylight is ideal — and we will tell you honestly what restoration would involve.

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