Artwork eventually asks for attention. Whether a painting has aged gracefully over decades of hanging above the family fireplace – or has had a cat jump through it – or has been used for target practice on Christmas morning – or the movers have just goofed, it needs Natalie. Even without abuse, varnishes and canvases age, leaving with a yellowed image sagging in its frame. Not only does the painting not look its best, but it is at great risk of tearing out of the frame completely. Tobacco smoke was a common culprit in the past when it came to darkened paintings, but during the 20th Century the painters themselves have contributed to the difficulties in the life of a painting by using inappropriate materials. At a lunch with the Director of the Conservation Department of the National Gallery in Washington, DC our Conservator, Natalie Marshall, was asked what Conservators call Modern Art. Answer? Job security. Unfortunately it’s no joke for the paintings or their collectors, and many modern paintings require the gentle hand of the conservator long before a traditional artwork would.
Walls Gallery Conservator, Natalie Marshall, has a degree in Art History with a minor in Chemistry from East Carolina University. She spent a year in Russia studying and working with art conservators on museum and private collections. Prior even to college, she was in California working with an 80 year old conservator. Experience means a lot, and Natalie has not been satisfied to only have one side of the story.
In the West Art Conservation has been ruled by science: find the solvent, remove the problem. But that perspective 
has led to damage as often as repair as knee caps and musculature have been removed from beloved works of art along with the grime of centuries. The Russian influence says that the Art must come first and that the methods must be time-tested in order to respect the artist and the work itself.
Examination, documentation, treatment and stabilization, and restoration. All her processes are archival and reversible.
Our hours are 10am to 6pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Natalie’s hours are less regular so an appointment is recommended. Our number is 910-343-1703.
