Art Restoration Gallery
This oil portrait of Ella Pollock Wilson(1838-1872) dates from 1875. She is the great great grandmother of the client, who was given possession of the painting in 2024. Ella was the second child of Henry Pollock (b 1810), a prominent Baltimore photographer and Daguerreotype artist. Two of his other daughters, Lillie, a portrait artist, and Lulia, a decorative artist, worked alongside him in his studio. Lillie painted the portrait from a photograph several years after Ella died in childbirth. The ornate frame is marked ‘Pollock’, and the family thinks it is likely that Lulia was involved in its creation. Before its 2024 arrival in North Carolina, the portrait hung for many years in the family home in Virginia followed by a time in San Francisco, Ca.
I am so glad that we entrusted this family heirloom to Shane. It was breathtaking to watch the transformation in the color and clarity of the portrait as he cleaned it. We did not initially appreciate the significance or beauty of the frame, which was in considerable disrepair. It is a work of art on its own, and we are so happy that Shane could retain all the original details including the elaborate decorative painting. I am sure the Pollock family of Baltimore would heartily approve of Shane’s outstanding work restoring their labor of love. Their descendants couldn’t be happier.
C.E. Wilson
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February 2023
This mid 1700’s oil on canvas was due for a good cleaning. The painting was covered with old deteriorated varnish and
linseed oil that had to be stripped. Working on this painting was like opening presents Christmas morning! Every area that was stripped revealed the original color and beauty. After some light in-painting and UV protective varnish, this painting was ready to be hung and enjoyed for many years to come!
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January 2022
If this painting could only talk!! This early 1800's oil on canvas had a really hard life. It took special new owners to see the hidden beauty buried beneath the years of neglect. I've got to say...I had my doubts as to what we would find under all the dirt.
The painting was re-lined, bringing the canvas back to a flat plane. I began the tedious procedure of stripping the 200 year old linseed oil from the face of the canvas. This revealed its true beauty! After in-painting and a coat of U.V. protective varnish, this portrait was ready to be hung and enjoyed for years to come.
Patience C Brown, 10 years 9 months
Shane Bufmeyer is amazing. I would call him a magician, but it takes great skill and talent to do what he did for us. We were given this painting at an estate sale. It was honestly headed for the trash, but something about it told us to see if it could be repaired. We reached out to several restorers and Shane was the only one that said bring it by for a closer look. All the others said the trash was the right place for it. We took it to Shane and were shocked when he said he could fix it. We just felt it was the right thing to do.
While he had the painting we did some research and discovered that my wife and I were both relatives of the young girl in the painting, Patience Crooker Brown. Her mom was a Brewster and like us a descendent of William Brewster who came over on the Mayflower. Patience died in her youth and we assume her mom and surviving sister were used by the artist for reference. She does not look like a nine to ten-year-old in the painting.
It is hard to believe Shane was able to do what he did with this painting. We cannot recommend him enough.
Mark Wilson
Brass Eagle Antiques
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Varnish removal, cleaning and in-painting completed on this oil on canvas.
Dear Shane,
Bob and I are thrilled over the restoration of our oil painting of “ old joyful musician”! We never knew, until you cleaned it, that it had such clarity of highlights and depth of paint. By removing the old varnish and retouchIng the areas needing a little paint, it has come alive ! I think it looks better than when I bought it in an Italian art gallery in 1966. Obviously it had more grime on it than I realized. All the effort you took to touch up the slightly worn paint areas, tightened up the frame and re-touched the worn gold , what an amazing job! Thank you so very much. We will treasure this painting for years to come.
I would strongly recommend your skills to anyone thinking about whether or not to restore an old painting. Having ours restored makes it far more valuable in the long run than having a dull picture obscured by time. Your fees were very reasonable considering the time and talent it takes to do a professional job.
Most sincerely yours,
Bob and Bonnie
June 4, 2020
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"Madonna of the Harpies" Church of the Good Shepherd, Raleigh NC
This wonderful 3' x 4' oil on canvas was in definite need of restoration. The most obvious concern was the darkness of the painting. After initial inspection, several old repairs and restorations were visible. After removing several layers of old varnish and linseed oil, the true damage was revealed. Multiple areas of previous in-painting had to be restored. After several weeks, the painting was treated with a fresh layer of uv protected varnish. Next, the original frame needed a full restoration. Repairs and new layed gold leaf brought this outstanding mid 1700’s frame back to life making it again the perfect compliment to its painting once again!
Before
After
Before
Completed Painting and Frame Restoration
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2021
Old varnish removed, oil painting cleaned and in-painting completed.
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Donald Ross portrait had extensive water damage. This oil on canvas was cleaned, in-painted and varnished.
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This oil on canvas underwent varnish removal and cleaning. Due to the condition of the canvas, the painting had to be relined. Finally, in-painting and a fresh coat of varnish gave this portrait a new lease on life.
Thank you again for your great work. It was a pleasure meeting you and appreciating your talent and creativity.
We are very happy with the painting. Sincerely, Carol
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Christ Church in Raleigh, NC 'The Annunciation' 4' x 6' Oil on canvas
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St. Mary's School, Raleigh NC 'The Confirmation' 6' x 8' Oil on canvas
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This oil painting had major paint loss and the canvas had numerous buckles.
The painting was cleaned, relined, stretched, and the paint loss was restored.
Excellent job! Work! Craft! -Gil
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This oil painting was cleaned to remove old varnish.
We're pleased with our painting, which is now framed and hung. The colors are as bright and lively as they were on the day it was painted. No chips or other damage can be seen. Thanks for the good work. -Linda
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Oil painting re-lined, cleaned, in-painted and varnished.
