News
New Studio in Wales Opens September 2018
Valentine’s studio in Wales is now complete and she will be working between Wales and London.
Sky Arts Series, The Work of the Conservator, Airing late 2017
Valentine has just finished filming with SkyArts on the work of the conservator. Part of this filming showed the transformation of a painting during conservation. The other segment discussed her work cleaning the Menin Road at the Imperial War Museum. The link to the Sky Arts programme can be found here:
Sky Arts Series, L.S. Lowry and metal soap formation 2017
Valentine has recently discovered the phenomenon of metal soap formation at the interface between Lowry’s underpaints and surface layers. This has explained the long misunderstood reason for delamitation on many of his paintings. She has been interviewed as the expert on LS Lowry for a new programme on Sky Arts TV to be aired at the beginning of 2017. The image below shows the material exudate on the paint surface.
As part of the series, SkyArts replaced original artworks with fakes in a series of galleries over the UK – Valentine luckily identified all the fake paintings in Manchester and Cardiff https://corporate.sky.com/media-centre/news-page/2016/millions-of-pounds-worth-of-masterpieces-have-disappeared–from-art-galleries-around-the-uk-for-a-national-sky-arts-competition
Jesse, Abergavenny 2015 – 2016
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales speaks to Valentine Walsh about her conservation of a large and important medieval sculpture of the Tree of Jesse.
Prince Charles visited St Mary’s Priory Church Abergavenny for the unveiling of the new Jesse stained glass window designed to complete the tree elements of the Jesse sculpture which were lost probably around the time of the civil war. The Jesse figure was once very colourful with complete polychromy and gilding. Hardly any of this remains on the surface and Valentine was asked to consolidate these small fragments which remained and which give just a hint of how bright and magnificent this enormous sculpture was.
News from Sweden 2015
A painting of an unknown Saint, found in Sweden, has now found its way back home to Magdalen College after successful treatment by Valentine Walsh
Newbridge Memorial Hall Project 2015
Valentine Walsh and Elizabeth Sobczinski have been working on the conservation of a unique series of gouaches for Newbridge Memorial Hall as part of an HLF Grant. The works have now been treated and have been returned to their original state.
Paul Nash The Menin Road, May 2014
Valentine has just completed the insitu cleaning, strip lining and conservation work to The Imperial War Museums Menin Road by Paul Nash. For a fascinating insight into the entire process, look at the YouTube time lapse film and see the secrets behind the processes of conservation.
John Piper Mural March 2013
JohnPiper Valentine Walsh completed the conservation of a John Piper Mural in March 2013. It is one of the largest works she has taken on.
El Greco Sale Success December 2012
Thanks to careful conservation, a painting attributed to the workshop of El Greco was sold for a price that recognised the quality of the painting indicating that this was by the hand of El Greco himself.
New Publication: Conservation of Easel Paintings Ed. Joyce Hill Stoner and Rebecca Rushfiled, Routledge, 2012
Valentine Walsh and Pigmentum Project co-author Dr Nick Eastaugh have written Chapter 18 – Optical Microscopy in this essential guide to Easel Painting conservation.
Valentine Walsh awarded Newbridge Memorial Hall Tender July 2012
Beaney paintings get a spring clean 30 March 2012
Reproduced from an original posting from Canterbury Council
Picture conservators have been busy getting art works ready for their move to Canterbury’s newly renovated Beaney Art Museum and Library. Paintings were moved out in early 2009, after the building closed for restoration and extension. Most have been in storage, with a small selection on display at Canterbury Heritage Museum. Now that construction and renovation of the Beaney are nearing completion the paintings are getting a thorough clean and check.
A team of specialist painting conservators led by Valentine Walsh, with Amelia Jackson and Anthea Pelham Burn, has been removing decades of dust accumulated while pictures were on display in the old building. At the same time they have been checking and recording condition of pictures and frames. This will enable curators to prioritise further work where paint is cracked and fragile, varnish has discoloured or frame mouldings have crumbled.
Director of Museums and Galleries Joanna Jones said: “We’re looking forward to making more of the collections accessible to people by displaying these wonderful paintings at the revitalised Beaney and to continuing our programme of conservation with local support.”
The Beaney Art Museum and Library is scheduled to reopen in September.
The Pigmentum Project
If you have ever wondered what Valentine’s work on the Pigmentum Project entails, visit: Royal Microscopical Society