Professional Artistic Restoration of Gorgeous LARGE Murals in Los Angeles…And the Artist Helped!
Thomas Suriya’s magnificent monumental murals at the Los Angeles Wholesale Farmers Market are a community pride and landmark. The two sides of the realistically painted murals measure 10m x 36m each (6,500 square feet or 722 square meters) and are done in acrylic on a cement wall. They were painted in 1986.
The unprotected (fully exposed) murals were thought to be badly faded and scratched from water damage over the last 25 years. Flaking was not a problem. Around 2003, the property manager hired someone to refinish the murals to make them look better. Varnishing did not improve clarity of colors and application bled, then heavily discolored in many areas.
Pretreatment tests revealed that extensive whitening/blooming of the varnish layers had occurred. Surface dirt and whitening of the varnish layers were extensive enough to obscure the actual condition of the paint layers and not allow an accurate assessment of the degree of discoloration. Therefore, Phase 1 of the conservation treatments was to clean the surface, penetrate a consolidating resin into the crystalline structure of the varnish, and regenerate the varnish layers.
After the clarity of the varnish layers was restored, it was apparent that many colors were still in fair to excellent condition. However, at the other extreme, some colors had, in fact, faded into oblivion. Some limited water damage streaks were still visible, although at least 90% had been removed/removed during cleaning and regeneration treatments. While there was an amazing transformation in the overall look of the murals, the property owners decided they wanted the artwork to “pop.” This seemed like a viable option, given that the original artist still lives, works and is vital.
Therefore, the Phase 2 restoration work was done under the direction of and in collaboration with the original artist, Thomas Suriya. An agreement was reached with the artist not to change the composition of the mural before the start of Phase 2. Airbrushes, rags and brushes were used to “reinvigorate” the composition and make the fruits and vegetables “pop”. Studies and comparisons were made to choose the most lightfast colors and for this reason some choices were made, which vary slightly from the original color choice.
In the end, the pictorial restoration was true to the artist’s original technique and colors. The final varnish was applied by spray, customizing the applications according to the needs of the work. The final appearance appeared “new” to the owners, however vast areas were left untouched and unrestored. The original quality of the mural was kept very high and did not appear “repainted/reworked”.
Our collaboration, as a conservation laboratory, turned out to be enjoyable and an essential part of the successful outcome, according to the artist’s testimony. The property management and board of directors were very satisfied with all the phases, processes, logistics and the final result met their expectations.
The project has a website with 4 videos plus testimonials at http://www.fineartconservationlab.com/la-produce-market-murals