I brought Lisa a beloved 40x60" vintage subway poster (the iconic Red Hot Chili Peppers "socks on c**ks" original print from England) that I received as a 16th birthday present in 1994, and it had been thumbtacked to the wall in every apartment I lived in since then. I purchased a house in 2026 and wanted to finally put it in a frame, but it needed a lot of love first. There were pinholes from the thumbtacks and time, old scotch tape on the back (to stop the thumbtacks from tearing through), a couple of larger holes, various stains and multiple water marks, some kind of ancient grease spot, and a few places where the ink seemed sanded off, probably from being rolled in too small of a tube and thrown in many moving trucks over the years. I didn't know how well it could be restored, but the copies available on eBay were in far worse condition, so I figured anything Lisa could do would help. I took it to her studio, and she gave me a fascinating lesson on the paper and inks that were used, described some of the things she may end up doing to it including a full washing, and carefully set my expectations that it won't be perfect, but she believed she could make a decent improvement.
I am SO pleased with the result! Lisa did a LOT of work on it - removing the tape, cleaning the surface, washing/rinsing/drying, mending the holes, fixing the sanded spots with waterpaint, flattening it back out... I was blown away when I came to pick it up! She was quick to point out all the imperfect bits, like that it wasn't totally flat, and a couple small water marks that wouldn't come out, and this bit here is a little funny, and that bit there is a little wavy... but honestly, in light of what she started with, and the fact that it's a 32 year old enormous piece of paper I have never properly protected, I couldn't be more pleased! She really took great care of my poster and did a fantastic job.
Lisa is incredibly well educated, an expert at art restoration, and she has high standards - everything you want when entrusting your most beloved pieces to a conservator. Plus she's a nice person who genuinely wants you to understand the situation from the start and to be satisfied with the outcome. I'll gladly return to Lisa if I need any other works on paper restored in the future! read more