Maryland Farm Painting repair and fixes

The Maryland farm (10x24 inches) was painted in 1985 using Liquitex gesso, Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylics, no mediums, and distilled water. I believe it is on Belgian Linen canvas. At one point, I bought a bolt of linen and stretched my own canvases.

The farm was near our home in Columbia, MD, and I drove past it often. Over the years, my family moved from Maryland to Illinois, then Texas, and finally Colorado. The painting hung in our home for many years, but somewhere along the way it became damaged. When we settled in Colorado, we had more paintings than walls. My youngest son, Ben, asked if he could have this one and requested that I clean the dirt off.

Although I liked the painting, I always felt it had unresolved issues I couldn’t quite identify. Now, with more knowledge and experience, I have ideas on how to improve it. The following sections describe the painting’s problems and the steps I took to restore it in 2025.

Step 1. Check perspective 

The perspective of the barns and fence looks correct. The atmospheric perspective looks incorrect; more about this later.

Step 2. Before and after photos

I took before and after photos of the changes. See below.

I need to take photos in the same place under the same lighting conditions. I did not do this below. The shadows and lighting differ from photo to photo, making the before and after photos look different from what they are.

Step 4. Clean

Clean surface and remove any dirt or scratches (~2 inches from left, ~1 inch from right and a few spots, white spot in bottom left, etc.). Use pH-neutral "The Master’s Artist’s Hand Soap", distilled water in a cup and in a spray bottle, Q-tips, and paper towels. 

• • Wipe painting with a dry paper towel to remove dust and other easy imperfections

  • Wipe painting with a damp paper towel

  • Wipe painting with a wet paper towel. Do this multiple times.

  • Use "The Master's" bar soap and the edge of a Q-tip to clean dirty spots. Fill the depression in the bar soap with water. Firmly but gently use multiple Q-Tips with soapy water to clean off the dirt.

  • Use soapy water and a paper towel to gently clean the entire painting

  • Get the soap off the painting by spraying it with water and drying it with paper towels. Repeat this multiple times until all the soap is off.

  • In two spots, the dirt was tough to remove. I repeated the Q-tip step above multiple times, scrubbing a bit more firmly each time. I also rubbed in different directions. There are still faint marks in these areas that will require touch-up painting.

Step 5. Clear Layer

The existing 1985 separation layer has gaps and an uneven application. 

• • Start with a clear layer. Multiple clear layers and glazes help create the illusion of oil paint and can increase luminosity. Acrylics tend to dry "chalky" or "flat". 

    • Gently mix the matte medium using a painting knife, because the matte element tends to settle at the bottom. 

    • Between each clear layer or paint layer, apply [2 teaspoons of Liquitex Matte Medium + 1 teaspoon of Liquitex glazing medium]. I use a paper plate to mix the clear layer mediums.

    • Note: In the past, I've tried using Liquitex satin and gloss mediums as a clear coat, but glazes applied on top of these did not work well.

  • In this step, the clear layer evens out the 1985 separation layer.

  • Use a 3-inch wide, flat, soft house painters' brush to apply the clear layer. Do not use a foam brush. 

  • Apply two layers. For each layer, rotate brush strokes between vertical, upper right to lower left, horizontal, upper left to lower right. Ensure everything is evenly covered and there are no white areas. Do not overwork. 

  • Use a palette knife at an angle to remove any drips before it dries. Wait until dry. CHECK FOR & REMOVE ALL HAIRS 

  • Clean brushes, a painting knife, and measuring spoons.

Step 6. Tighten Canvas

I am not sure why, but there are places where the canvas was not taut. I am guessing that items were leaned against the painting in those spots. In the past, I gessoed the back of the canvas to fix loose canvas spots. However, gessoing the canvas's back is no longer recommended. 

The clear layer eliminated or reduced some loose areas, but it is not as tight as a drum.

• Before misting, I did the following:

  • I emptied my spray bottle and cleared the spray pump of water.

  • I heated 6oz of distilled water for 45 seconds in the microwave. The water is hot but not boiling.

  • I poured the hot water into the spray bottle. 

  • Press the pump until water starts to flow again and the mist is warm.

• I misted the canvas back lightly with hot distilled water to tighten linen fibers. 

• Let the back dry thoroughly.

• When painting, I like to put my hand on the canvas. So, I use a support (e.g., a book or a wooden panel) under the canvas, which does not push the canvas up and does not allow my hand to push it down.

• Instead of hot water, another option is to use the Masterpiece Tight'n'Up Canvas Re-Tensioner. I have not tried this option.

Step 7. Sta-Wet Palette 

Acrylics dry out fast. It usually takes me a very long time to complete a painting. Since I am color blind, I can't mix the same color twice. I need the colors to stay wet until the painting is complete. 

Another problem with acrylics is that they are wet and enclosed in a damp, dark place. So, after a short period of time, a fuzzy mold starts to grow on the paint. 

I have a small spray bottle of clove oil. I mist the bottom of the Sta-Wet palette with clove oil, and then wipe it out. Clove oil slows the development of the mold

I prepare the Sta-Wet palette's sponge and paper following the instructions provided.

Step 8. Canvas Board

I use a cheap canvas board for trying things before committing them to the painting. 

The painting is 40 years old, and I forgot the colors used and how they were mixed. 

The 1985 version had a matte finish and no varnish. 

The sky color and the grass need to be accurate

Step 9. Color Palette

The 1985 painting used all Liquitex Heavy Body paints.

• Titanium White

• Ultramarine Blue

• Burnt Umber

• Mars Black

• Cadmium Red medium

• Cadmium Yellow

• Chromium Green 

For the 2025 changes, here are the colors used:

• Golden Open Ultramarine Blue

• White = Golden Open Gesso (because it is more transparent than Titanium White)

• Neutral Black = equal parts Golden Open Ultramarine Blue and Golden Open Burnt Umber, and a very small touch of Liquitex Dioxazine Purple

• Golden Open Burnt Umber

• Liquitex Glazing Medium for glazing 

• Sky = Golden Open Ultramarine Blue and lots of Golden Open Gesso

Step 10. First set of changes

The fundamental issues have to do with perspective as it relates to color saturation, blurring of edges, and cooling of colors as they recede. In addition, the foreground or mid-ground doesn't have the brightest and darkest colors, and it is lacking in close-up detail in the barbed wire and field. It is unclear whether there is a hill in front and a field behind. Sandy wants the trees on the left to look more like the trees on the right.

This is the first set of changes:

• Blur front to back

  • Soften edges using Sky color with glaze: barns, horizon line, trees

  • Push some trees further back than others using Sky color and glaze medium

  • Make the front post stand out using darkest black, and an off white made from brown, black, and white

• Saturation

  • Make further back colors, especially grass and trees, less saturated by glazing with Sky and glazing medium

  • Glaze the dale with Sky color and glazing medium to push it backwards

• Touch up the center cloud and the cloud in the upper left using white and Sky

• Add a twisting black, broken line to barbed wire using neutral black

• Add highlights and Sky color to barn roofs

Step 11. Second set of changes

I don't plan on changing this painting again. So, I need to try and correct everything I don't like. This is the second set of changes:

• Tone down the yellowish-green in trees.

• Make the hill edge less distinct or more jagged

• The middle-distance fence needs more color variation, and add a  broken rail

Fix the field color between the fence rails in front

• Add barbs to barbed wire

• Add more interest in the small barn

• Darken trees on the right

• Update date: change from 1985 to 1985-2025

• The color under the tree should be more like other trees

Step 12. Separation Layer

Acrylics look flat if not properly glazed. The sky needs more depth and luminosity. 

• Apply two light coats of Liquitex gloss medium; one layer is brushed on vertically, and after it dries, the next layer is brushed on horizontally

  • • I added a third layer because the second layer wasn't evenly applied.

• The separation layer acts as a sealer for the painting

Step 13. Remove excess canvas

The 1985 canvas wrapped around the back, covering the stretcher bars, adding thickness to the painting. In the back, the painting jutted out too far from the frame. So, I cut off the excess canvas with an X-Acto knife to reduce the overall thickness. This may not have been needed.

Step 14. Varnish

My Paintings before 2025 didn't use varnish. Older paintings have a matte or gloss separation layer.

• • Wait for the separation layer to dry

  • Use a varnish that can be removed in the future, such as Windsor-Newton UV Gloss Spray, Liquitex Gloss Soluvar, or Gamblin Gamvar with a 3-inch wide soft brush.

    • My preference is Gamblin Gamvar

  • Apply two coats, but only if needed, one horizontal and one vertical. Wait 48-72+ hours for it to dry

Step 15. Return the painting to the frame

1. • Added notes using an acrylic pen to a strip of canvas and staple it to the painting.: Gamvar varnish, separation layer, original in 1985 and changes in 2025, paint colors in 1985 and 2025, canvas and gesso

   • Removed glue and paper residue, and then wiped clean to remove dust. I should have sanded it.

   • Add painting supports (black things)

   • Cut and attach a sheet of brown paper to the frame using glue

     • Bought a brown paper roll for the back of the frame

     • Cut 3 slits in the paper

     • Add a wire hanger