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Cecil Touchon On Preserving Works on Paper

Artist Cecil Touchon gives a how-to for preserving works on paper and ensuring the longevity of artworks produced on all sorts of paper supports.

Preserving Works on Paper
I think the natural processes of what papers do should be accepted, even cherished and considered part of the process of the work. A little dignified fading is just fine in my book. As a collage artist I have a great love of very old papers. Many of the papers I have used over the years are as much as a couple of hundred years old. I am happy no one slathered some sort of preservative all over them. The pure wood pulp papers are something of a problem of course because they actually just turn to dust. If you look at early wood pulp papers from the 1880s and 90's, many of them you can hardly even touch any more. They are just crumbling. These types of papers definitely need the acrylic barrier. The internal acids are so strong that the paper is destroying itself regardless of preservation techniques short of putting the material in a deacidification liquid (which you can also use) However, I would like to stress that the look of many papers which will last a very long time - several hundred years - will be compromised by these techniques of layers of acrylic medium. So I would urge you not to use that technique indiscriminately. Additionally, consider the application. If possible thin your medium down quite a bit so as not to leave brush marks and unwanted texture on the papers. possibly even use a spray application. The papers that we use should be given the utmost respect and consideration as they are the very basis of what our work as collage artists is all about. The deterioration of the papers and inks is part of what we love about them.

Mounting Works
One thing that can be done - and is what I do without exception - is to mount your works on heavy watercolor paper (or museum board). I prefer 300 lb paper and leave several inches between the image and the outer border of the base sheet. This will help prevent waves or warping of the paper. I usually leave about a 4-5 inch 'dead space' so, an 8 x 10 inch collage is mounted on an 18 x 20 inch base sheet of 300 lb watercolor paper. This allows the image to be isolated from the environment by having a 5 inch barrier allowing the work to be seen without interference from the surroundings which can effect the perception of the work. It also, when handled, prevents anyone's hand from ever touching the image in the middle of the paper, it also leaves plenty of room for the base paper to absorb all the bumps and tears and stains that never make it to the image in the center.

The other problem with works on paper is the surface getting scratched, rubbed or stuck to other surfaces from having other works stacked on top or stick to it. Therefore it is good to have some plastic bags to keep works in individually so they don't hurt each other. This kind of thing probably creates more damage in the artist's studio than natural deterioration.

Framing and Storage
Then there are two other aspects of preservation. Framing and Storage. If you use a UV sheet of glass or Plexiglas that will take care of the ultraviolet issue as well as the exposure to air or touch issue. Enemies that proper storage and framing will help with are: light, atmosphere, dust, moisture and insects (some of whom have a great love of paper too!) One of the biggest enemies of paper is direct sunlight. Keeping works out of the sun is one of the best things you can do for your art papers so invest in containers and drawer units that will store your papers and finished works in the dark. Also, keeping works in a dry, cool place helps a great deal too. Proper atmospheric conditions go a long way to ensure the longevity of your papers. Be sure also to keep the area where your papers are stored free of any kind of insects or vermin such as mice or rats. Many artists have lost vast amounts of work from putting their art in deep storage only to return years later to find that mice decided to set up house in the flat files. Imagine the horror of finding your life's work in this condition. Even framed work can suffer from moisture, mildew and insects so if you keep works framed be sure to inspect them carefully at least every six months. Works hanging on walls should be taken down now and again for cleaning and to check the backs of frames for any of these problems.

Remember, paper has always been intended as an ephemeral product and for indoor use only. Paper by its very nature is not something designed last for eternity and indeed, that is one of the things we love about it. But still with proper care most papers will last indefinitely into the future.

And if we happen to get our works into well-funded art museum collections and the works go up and up in value, we'll have a whole staff of people looking after the work long after we are gone. On the other hand, if our work is not destined for this kind of glorification, no matter what you do, it will suffer the fate of negligence and probable destruction. Some experts say, 90% of all art created will be destroyed within a generation. Here, the artist needs to intercede. 

Adhesives : A Sticky Issue

After all of this preservation the other possible problem is the adhesive used. I personally use acrylic gel medium but you can use wheat paste, rice paste, wallpaper paste, billboard paste, Elmer's Glue, etc. But what you have to avoid are glue sticks and spray adhesives and rubber cement. These things yellow badly or loose their adhesive quality. After a number of years, the papers will become unattached. However, they are good for creating temporary paste-ups which are collages that you make strictly for the purpose of creating reproductions from them either by photographing them or scanning them so that the final work is not the collage or photo montage paste-up but the photographic image of it. In which case you would destroy the paste-up when finished with it and you would not care if it falls apart or yellows over time.

Cecil Touchon is an artist living and working in Dallas, Texas. His most recent solo exhibition was at BSG Modern, in Atlanta, Georgia. Touchon exhibits widely in the US and his work is collected privately and publicly. Touchon also curates the Collage Museum, which he has also founded.  [Images above: Fusion Series #2282 - 13 x 10 inches - collage on paper;  Cecil Touchon in his studio, Dallas, Texas; Fusion Series #1872 Collage on Paper, 12 x 9 inches; Fusion Series #2389, 2008, Collage on Paper, 9 x 6 inches].  Contact him via his website: Cecil Touchon.

COLLAGE BY BLACK DOG PUBLISHING

Collage has been at the forefront of the digital revolution, if not for the final results, then for the method, a way of mixing images and texts via computer manipulation. Like music sampling (hip hop and rap), multiple sources can be "glued" together to create something extremely new and strange. The dadaists seized on the methods employed by Picasso and Braque, and the surrealists made a living out of collage to great and what appears to be everlasting effect. It can be argued that collage is perhaps the preeminent art method of the 20th and 21st centuries. Modern masters like Joseph Cornell and Ray Johnson created some of the most memorable collages, with the later extending his signature methods into pretty much all aspects of his life and art.

Just out is the new fat volume on the subject by Black Dog Publishing / UK : Collage Assembling Contemporary Art. With known experts Sally O’Reilly, Ian Monroe, David Lillington and John Stezaker among the contributors, the hardcover 240 page color book retails for £35.00.

According to Black Dog Publishing: "Collage: Assembling Contemporary Art is a striking and authoritative survey of the history of collage, from its origins through to the work being produced by artists today. (Image, THE PEOPLE, Matthew Rose, right).

With contemporary artists reclaiming the form, collage is flourishing. From the traditional ‘cut and paste’ method through to digital, three dimensional and installation work, and in the incorporation of contemporary concerns such as environment and commercialism, collage is experiencing an exciting renaissance.

First gaining popularity in the early 1900s, with such pieces as Picasso’s The Dream in 1908 and Still Life with Chair Caning in 1912, collage has proliferated though the ages. From figures such as Kurt Schwitters, to works by the Constructivists, Dadaists, and Surrealists, to 1960s and 70s Pop Art, the form has branched out into a myriad of fine art practice that encompasses assemblage, montage, and décolage. Collage draws together the work of influential artists to contextualize the art being produced today.

Collage features the art of such internationally acclaimed artists as Picasso, Schwitters and Ernst, Hannah Hoch, Marta Rosler, John Stezaker, Richard Hamilton, Layla Curtis, David Salle, Eduardo Poalozzi, Javier Rodriguez, Robert Rauschenberg, David Thorpe, Fred Tomaselli, Matthew Rose and many more.

CAROLINE SECQ : ASSEMBLAGE SUR LA PLAGE

CAROLINE SECQ passe beaucoup de temps sur le bord de la mer, pour voir très loin à l’horizon et, evidement très près, à ses pieds ! C'est là où elle cultive son art, un art de l’assemblage et de l’art-cumulation, comme la petite sculpture à gauche, "Kucina.”

"Je joue de toutes les matières, mais uniquement celles que me fournit l’océan," explique-t-elle. "Bouts de bois, plastique, ficelle, choses, rêve, trucs bidules et machins… machouillés, triturés, déglutis par les flôts. J’amasse et ramasse des bouts, débris, brisures, fracas et carcasses, et j’utilise tout tel que." Mais dans l'atelier Caroline Secq transforme tout: "L’œil et la main butinent et voltigent sans préméditation. J’emboite, construis, superpose, juxtapose, compose…."

Ses constructions sont d’un autre monde, bien sûr, mais nous rappelent celui où l’on vit. Lalande Digital Art Press Paris avait le grand plaisir de travailler avec Caroline Secq pour son exposition à Saint Cado (12 juillet - 28 juillet). Nous avons eu la chance d'imprimer ses cartes d'exposition pour Saint Cado. Voir son site pour encore des bijoux d'assemblage et aussi toutes les informations sur l'artiste, son atelier et ses expositions à l'avenir.

Collage By Stephanie Jenny

We made some posters and postcards for artist Stephanie Jenny, the adorable babe at Zango on the Rue Daguerre in the 14th. She launched her art career in June with the Portes Ouvertes along the Butte aux Cailles (in the 13th arrondisement), opening up her studio during a weekend art fest. Stephanie hung about 30 works and sold nearly a third of them, including this one. For her postcard, we isolated a section of a larger canvas, and used a digital photo of the entire piece in black and white on the back for a "stamp."

We love working with artists and offering whatever know-how and marketing we can offer so they get the exposure and traffic they're looking for. "Put your images out there," I told her. "You're the star." I suppose she thought about that for a day or so, but when she had the posters and cards in hand, she quickly laid the groundwork for a successful exhibition: Stephanie put up the 25 A3-sized posters in local shops and cafés where she lives, just off La Butte.

Well, they came, they saw, (probably drank), and they bought and some bought two! She has the eye, the scissor + glue skills, and the ebuillient temperament needed to make a go of it. Stephanie undoubtedly raising her prices for her show this September.