Posts by Strazza Art Restoration

4 x 8 Foot Architectural Design Restored

Posted in Art Restoration

4 x 8 Foot Architectural Design Restored

This is the architectural rendering designed for the Met Life Insurance housing project, in Parkchester South, Bronx, NY. It was painted on a 4×8 foot plywood panel. It was discovered in a basement and incredibly dirty. It was very faded, and when we started testing it we found out that it was a drawing with fine lines and watercolor paint, not oil paint as the client originally thought. This was quite a challenge because it would be very easy to loose the color, and lines when cleaning. We did however find a way to gently restore the color, but only with grueling patience i.e. q-tips...

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Giving Thanks painting revived

Posted in Art Restoration

Giving Thanks painting revived

This lovely little painting of a man giving thanks for his food, came to us in need of cleaning and a bit of in-painting. It had a film of some kind over it, and it really needed some careful attention. The results of this restoration left it with more contrast, detail, and the subtle colors were brought back to life. It ended up being a lovely painting, that framed well and looks great. Here are the before and after photos.    

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Photo restoration print quality

Posted in Featured, Photo Restoration

Photo restoration print quality

One of the thing we like to show is the print quality of our photo restorations. John is a master photographer of over 40 years, and making beautiful prints is an important part of that. His prints are in museums and we use the same quality paper, and techniques with our restoration prints. Archival rag (100% cotton) papers are used ensuring very long life of the print. We do not “over restore” a photograph and in turn making it look sterile; instead we maintain what we call an “age appropriate” look to the final image and leave all the filmic qualities in the...

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Damaged Landscape Oil Painting Repaired

Posted in Art Restoration, Featured

Damaged Landscape Oil Painting Repaired

This painting came to us in pretty bad shape. It was chipping and peeling, and was very dirty from nicotine smoke damage. It was also very brittle. This one required a new backing of canvas to support the painting. This is called a re-lining. Here are some photos of the process. Brittle painting Relining canvas with new linen Painting partially cleaned Painting restored    

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Small Horse and Carriage Painting Restored

Posted in Art Restoration

Small Horse and Carriage Painting Restored

This very small 4 x 6 inch painting came to us in need of serious attention. As you can see it was peeling, chipped, and it also needed to be cleaned from smoke damage. One of the challenges here was that it was painted on a board, and we could not do any repair from the back side of the painting. The final result was lovely and the customer was very happy. Here are the before and after photos of this painting.

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Water Damage Photo Restoration

Posted in Photo Restoration

Water Damage Photo Restoration

This beautiful portrait came to us after having been water damaged. This one was difficult because the damage was still active and getting worse every day. Thankfully we did a high end digital scan the minute we got it, and that saved the day. Here are a few before and after photos to show a little of the process. When fully restored, it brought tears to the owner when they came to see it repaired. It was nearly a lost cause, but thankfully we were able to help. Before restoration. Here is our final restored photo below.

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Rebuilding and image for restoration

Posted in Photo Restoration

Rebuilding and image for restoration

Sometimes it’s just got to be rebuilt! We got this image in and the customer wanted the sailor on the right to be one his own in the photograph. It was just a 2″ section of a photograph, and as you can see we had little to work with, but it came together pretty nice anyway. The sailor was a family member, of whom very few photographs were taken at this time, so we need to make this one count. Anyway, the image below shows what we were working with (left) and the resulting photograph (right).  

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Beautiful old Russian painting restored

Posted in Art Restoration

Beautiful old Russian painting restored

This nice painting from Russia was brought to us for restoration. It was quite old and very delicate. It had yellowed over the years and was in need of some loving care. We were happy to see this one come alive and vibrant again, without loosing it’s sense of history, or what we often call “age appropriate” look. The customer was very happy! Here are some before and after photos of this restoration. Before restoration.   Beginning stages of cleaning.   After restoration.  

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Old Oil Portrait Restored

Posted in Art Restoration

Old Oil Portrait Restored

This painting came to us in pretty bad shape. It had at one time been rolled up and probably shipped in a non protective way. It was cracked, and folded in many places, which ruined the paint. The entire surface of this painting suffered one problem or another, all in all, quite a problem. We had a lot to do with this one, but it came out really nice, and the customer was pleasantly surprised and quite happy. We also re-stretched this one so it was more secure than before. Here are some before and after shots of this restoration. Before restoration and un-stretched.   Details of...

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Navy Sailor Portrait Restored

Posted in Photo Restoration

Navy Sailor Portrait Restored

This nice photo came to us in need of restoration. It is a nice 11×14 black and white with a little color added. It was cracked, and yellowing. Here is a small before and after of this restoration.  

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Wedding Photograph Restored

Posted in Featured, Photo Restoration

Wedding Photograph Restored

This beautiful 16 x 20 photograph came to us recently and it really needed some help, as you can see. It had turned yellow, and had some pretty bad water damage. It was also mounted on a board that was very brittle, and it could not be flattened at all or it would crack into more pieces. As it was we had to tape some loose pieces together just to do the high resolution photograph for the restoration. This one took some serious attention, but the results were worth the effort. In this case leaving some of the old characteristics and irregularities of the original photograph was desirable, to...

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Cedar Bar

Posted in Abstract Art, Abstract Paintings, Sold

Cedar Bar

This painting by Lisa Strazza is one of her best known, and it was acquired recently from a collector that has several of her works. The story behind this painting can be seen here. Please note new photographs of this painting are being done, as these are too “hot” in color, and do not represent the painting well.

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Paintings damaged during a move

Posted in Art Restoration, Featured

Paintings damaged during a move

Sometimes things happen that we don’t expect while moving the contents of a home into another home. This unfortunate painting was mistakenly dropped onto a chandelier that was on the floor. A million to one you might say, but we see things like this quite often. It happens to the best of us (even professional movers). So we’re here to fix things just like this. The damage was extensive, and the painting fairly old and brittle to begin with. Here are some before and after shots of the restoration, which in the end needed to be re-lined with a new canvas backing. If you have a...

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What a little matting can do …

Posted in Art Restoration, Custom Picture Framing

What a little matting can do …

Sometimes a piece comes along that has some serious acid problems, and there’s not always a lot you can do (in a certain price range). But it can be de-acified, and the re-matted and framed. This is really helpful in stopping or slowing down the problem in many cases. It may seem obvious, but here are some photos, with and without mat, so you can see how nicely a print will clean up. We did treat this piece to stop, or at least very much slow down, the problem. It will look nice for years to come. These photos just show how nice a simple mat can be. Don’t give up on the pieces...

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Instant Photographs, Old Lyme Ct. 2

Posted in Contemporary Photography, Instant Photographs, Photography

Instant Photographs, Old Lyme Ct. 2

These images were taken in Old Lyme Ct. on the Ct. River. This group of photograph is from my Instant Photographs Series, many images of which were taken in and around New England. More about this whole series HERE. The image size on these is: 1.75 x 2.5 inches. The film size is: 2.25 x 3.25 inches. Each signed in pencil by artist. Photo taken in Old Lyme, CT    

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Instant Photographs, Old Lyme Ct.

Posted in Contemporary Photography, Instant Photographs, Photography

Instant Photographs, Old Lyme Ct.

These images were taken in Old Lyme Ct. on the Ct. River. This group of photograph is from my Instant Photographs Series, many images of which were taken in and around New England. More about this whole series HERE. The image size on these is: 1.75 x 2.5 inches. The film size is: 2.25 x 3.25 inches. Each signed in pencil by artist. Photo taken in Old Lyme, CT  

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Instant Photographs Ct. Series

Posted in Instant Photographs, Photography

Instant Photographs Ct. Series

These two images were taken on an overpass in Chester Ct. This group of photograph is from my Instant Photographs Series, many images of which were taken in and around New England. More about this whole series HERE. The image size on these is: 1.75 x 2.5 inches. The film size is: 2.25 x 3.25 inches. Each signed in pencil by artist. Photo taken in Chester, CT    

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iPhoneography 2

Posted in iPhoneography, Mobile Photography, Photography

iPhoneography 2

Five images from the Wawayanda series.          

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iPhoneography

Posted in iPhoneography, Mobile Photography, Photography

iPhoneography

Mobile photography is a huge part of my work. In a way it always has been because I have used small cameras all my life. But of course we’re talking about iPhones here. I’ll be posting a lot of work here and be talking about this more … but for now it’s still a photograph and that’s the most important part, not so much the way it was taken.  

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Instant Photographs Series 7

Posted in Contemporary Photography, Instant Photographs, Photography

Instant Photographs Series 7

This small photograph is from my Instant Photographs Series, many images of which were taken in and around New England. This image was taken in Westpost, Ct. and it is a particular favorite of mine. If you want more details about these images, I have written more about them HERE. The image size on these is: 1.75 x 2.5 inches. The film size is: 2.25 x 3.25 inches. Each signed in pencil by artist. Photo taken in Westport, CT Being an original instant film photograph, they are of course one of a kind; there is only one.  

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