MITRA Forum Question Details

​Sorry to hear this.

Honestly, these are the type of questions that we generally refuse to answer here. However, your qualifier has made me bend the rules a bit. I am not sure if this will work and I would not suggest anything else DIY.

I would place the painting face up in a room with good ventilation. With a brush, I would apply odorless mineral spirits to the face of the wrapping paper until it is saturated and transparent. Let is set for a minute of two and see if you can gently remove the paper from the painting surface starting at an edge. If it does begin to lift without damage try to remove the paper at a 180-degree angle so that there is little upwards pull on the painting surface. Stop immediately if you encounter any real resistance. Sorry that is all that I am comfortable suggesting. Perhaps others want to comment.

Like Brian, these are not situations we would normally advise anyone other than the artist - when willing - to attempt a repair because of the risk of damage. Brian's suggestion of mineral spirits should certainly not harm the painting, although there could always be some change to surface sheen as a result of the initial sticking and removal. If that occurs it can often be rectified with a varnish, but then that itself can alter the aesthetic of the piece and is something to consult the artist on. One word about future wrapping and shipping - we have not had a great track record with glassine and if anything HAD to touch the surface of a painting, we would personally recommend silicone release paper. But ideally, and what is our strongest recommendation, is to pack and store paintings so that no packing material touches the surface. This is possible to do if willing to create a shipping collar that creates a raised edge around the painting that can then support a cover or at least keep any wrapping material up away from the surface. A high-end solution to this can be found on the Canadian Conservation Institute's website:

https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/wrapping-painting.html

And we share a much more casual example in a video that could be suitable for smaller works:

https://www.goldenpaints.com/videos/how-to-pack-paintings-for-shipping

Hope that helps.

Thanks Sarah. I would normally just sent the question to you to see if you wanted to respond but thought against it on Christmas day.

Great info. Silicone release paper or silicone release Mylar are certainly the safest way to wrap a painting if it has to have something touch the surface. We use yards and yards of the SR Mylar in paintings conservation

As you write, it is always preferable to come up with a system that allows the work to travel and does not touch the painted surface at all.

Additionally, to the OP, if these simple attempts do not remedy the problem, please advise them to consult a paintings conservator rather than attempt addition DIY methods.