Hi all. I purchased an (oil I think?) painting from Etsy. The artist is in Vietnam so she mailed the canvas rolled, which has left has horizontal creases every couple inches across the entire painting. I decided to stretch it myself and bought the bars and the stretcher pliers and the youtube videos all suggest that the creases would go away as I stretch, but they’re not going away no matter how hard I pull it. I’m wondering how to get rid of these creases? I see that lightly spraying the back of the canvas with water would help if it were unpainted, would this ruin the paint though?
1 Like
Does she say for sure it is an oil painting? Water and oil don’t mix, so the water shouldn’t hurt the painting. Can you do a little test in the corner? Canvas is fabric that is usually primed with gesso…it can’t stretch without something making it more pliable, like water…
If she used oils and not enough lindseed oil, the paints could have dried out and cracked, so maybe it isn’t the canvas? Can you post a picture, close-up, of the creases?
2 Likes
I’m going to have my father give it a try next time he’s over, maybe a stronger hand will help. If not, I’ll try a little water on a corner to see what happens. Thanks!
1 Like
It is lovely…and it does look like it might be oil…the back appears to be really dry…I bet a spritz of water will soften those lines a lot…the front does not appear to have damaged paint, so it is the canvas, it seems…I would wet right behind a dark flower…
I hope it can be “saved”…the flowers are so vibrant…
3 Likes
What a beautiful painting! I sure hope you can smooth it out. Please report back and let us know! 
1 Like
