How Do You Clean Plaster Art?

Whether it is abstract painted plaster artwork or natural botanicals forever suspended in time on a plaster surface, these art pieces soften any space and entice viewers. But how do you dust or clean plaster art?

How do you clean a delicate surface like plaster or the natural botanicals captured on its surface?

Dried wild meadow plants on a plaster field remind us of nature's delicate, tough, wild things. We are drawn to their natural symmetry: their ordered stamens, pistils, leaves, blades, and seed heads. They are delicate even in their mention. But, there is a way of dusting this breakable, dimensional, textured artwork that doesn't leave you fearing that the plaster or botanicals' delicate edges and parts will be permanently broken off.

Plaster is one of the oldest painting supports, and it was initially applied to walls for fresco paintings. Over time, our love of texture has incorporated plaster as a key visual component of artwork, and today, artists use traditional plaster, heavy-body acrylics, and even drywall compounds in their recipes to create exciting and unique art.

What to use to clean or dust plaster and plaster botanical art:

• Use a soft-bristled artist brush to clean or dust plaster art or botanical art. An artist's small-headed brush with long bristles allows for a more open movement that will not push off the delicate tips of plant pistils or seed heads. This type of brush is typically one made for watercolour painting. An artist's small-headed fan brush will also work.

• The fewer the bristles on the brush, the softer the dusting movement.

What should NOT be used to clean plaster art:

• A can of pressurized air. I tried a can of pressurized air, thinking it could be a hands-off way to combat dust. The air came out too strong to control and dislodged delicate parts. Increasing the distance between the can of air and art does help, but it remains a reckless choice.

• Water. Plaster remains porous unless it is coated with a sealer. Although some artists apply a protective plastic layer to seal the surface, keeping wetness away from plaster and botanicals is a good practice. If you know it has been painted over with an acrylic (plastic) paint or a sealer, a light touch with soap and water and a soft brush, as described above, can be used.

• A cloth. Probably self-explanatory, a cloth has far too much abrasion power, and who knows what the hanging part is doing?

• A makeup brush. Although your new and clean makeup brush may be soft, its filaments (hairs) are likely too densely arranged and, therefore, not good at gently brushing dust off delicately stemmed botanicals. However, a small-headed and openly arranged makeup fan-type brush might be an option.

 

How to repair a broken piece from a plaster artwork:

Dimensional plaster artwork adds interest and variety to an art collection and is sometimes hung where guests can easily view it. However, this can mean it is more likely to be accidentally knocked or brushed against.

• If a piece of dried plant or plaster is broken off, it can usually be easily fixed. Use simple liquid glue to restore the broken part to the surface. I am also happy to repair your plaster art in my studio.

• Choose a glue that will dry clear, and apply it only underneath the piece. Read the glue container to make sure it dries clear and does not remain white when dry. Almost all glues dry with a sheen, so focus the glue where it won't be seen.

• Use a couple of sewing pins or painter's tape to hold a broken-off piece in place while the glue dries. If you have sewing pins, gently pierce or, better yet, place a pin on each side of the dislodged piece, tightly up against it, into the plaster background. Alternatively, a length of painter's tape is gentle enough to hold the piece down securely on either side until the glue is firm.

 

 

Be still our plaster hearts.

• Natural wild florals as art. Jade Brown makes contemporary botanicals sprayed with matte white paint and suspended in raw plaster. See Jade's plaster art pieces for sale. These plaster fields (backgrounds) are usually white but sometimes are tinted, painted on, or smudged haphazardly over wood panels.

• Plaster abstracts. Jade applies raw plaster onto birch paint boards, inspired by her interpretations of rain streaks and landscapes. These larger pieces with dimensionality show best with a light source from above highlighting their shadows.

Art frames of whitewashed or natural craggy wood add to these versatile tonal textural pieces.

"It is a good idea to be alone in a garden at dawn or dark so that all its shy presence may haunt and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought."- Unknown