Note: This review is based solely on my consultation process. Chris is a rare gem! I reached out to Chris about an old painting of mine with significant sentimental value. He was incredibly professional, honest, and thoughtful. He took the time to review photos, ask questions, and even conducted his own research on the artist and market value - this totally surprised me in the best way possible. I can tell Chris is an upstanding and deeply considerate professional. His expert advice truly put my mind at ease. For now, I'm pausing on the restoration, but I'm looking into refreshing the framing per his suggestion. He even recommended a framing specialist he trusts nearby where I live, which was such a sweet surprise. It's rare to find someone so knowledgeable who leads with such grounded transparency, especially when art can be so emotional. Chris really cares about the time and effort involved for everyone. There are a lot of great reviews on here, but I wanted to really speak to his KINDNESS just from our initial interactions. I'll definitely be returning to him when I'm ready to move forward with conservation! read more

Perfect and professional in every way. Period. Wise review, discussion and advice easy and comfortable discussion. read more

Chris at Mobius was SO kind, helpful and knowledgeable regarding art conservation and storage. He really took the time to walk me through the options and process. And he is a true art lover. Very pleased! read more

The best conservator in Northern California. Chris has the knowledge and the passion to always do top quality restoration.

I emailed Chris with photos of my great-great aunt's painting of Alice in Wonderland. The frame had come apart and the painting itself had deteriorated after having been in the home of a heavy smoker for years. It's definitely not great art but it is a family heirloom. Chris promptly replied with a question. I responded, and Chris wrote back recommending I not put money into the painting but instead take it to a custom framer who would be able to repair the frame and resettle the painting. How wonderful to have a reputable expert give an honest opinion! read more

MOBIUS: Art Conservation - Alice in Wonderland painted by Martha Madill circa 1900. - Art Restoration Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We are lucky to have found Chris Kenney and Mobius Art Conversation & Restoration! He restored a painting that has been in our family for decades and holds great emotional significance. Chris is a true expert and his work is meticulous. There were multiple steps involved in the restoration and Chris diligently updated us on our painting's progress with detailed emails and pictures. Chris used museum quality bars to stretch the canvas - even our framer commented on the amazing quality of his restoration and the stretch bars that he used. We are thrilled with the result and highly recommend Chris - his expertise is worth the drive to his studio in Santa Cruz (California). read more

I have had cause to use the art restoration services of Chris Kenney on two occasions over the years, and been so very grateful that I did. He is a genius at what he does. He is enormously sought after by museums and galleries all over the country, but still manages to find time to attend to the restoration needs of mere mortals like me. He is a delight to work with, taking time to explain what work needs doing, the painstaking techniques he will use to do it, and the potential risks involved etc, so one can make an informed decision about proceeding with a restoration or not. He is meticulous and thorough, and given the very specialized nature of his work, reasonably priced. I cannot rate his services highly enough. Thank you Chris. read more

Chris Kenney is a restoration maestro! Recommended by the renowned Ed Penniman as the only art conservator he would consider, I brought Chris my recently acquired, neglected and badly damaged, century old Lillian Heath painting to restore. Chris did an amazing job and the piece looks like it was painted yesterday. He is a gifted artist that is also a great communicator, very organized and professional, and a delight to work with. Santa Cruz is extremely lucky to have a conservator of his skill level in our midst. read more

We are lucky to have Mobius for art conservation in Santa Cruz. I thought I'd have to travel over the hill to have an old family portrait cleaned and restored, so I was pleasantly surprised when the artists I asked for advice, who are not from this area, recommended Chris Kenny of Mobius. Chris was great to work with-he communicated clearly about the possible options and about all the decisions to be made. He listened to my concerns and to my budget and did a beautiful job on the portrait. read more

Just retrieved my "new" painting after Chris removed 100 years of dust and grime. The the newly revealed colors and details were more surprising than I had expected. I'm now seeing the piece as my grandmother saw it. Thank you, Chris! read more

Chris is the REAL deal and we're lucky to have him in sleepy beachy Santa Cruz. As int'l art dealers, we need our paintings to be in excellent condition for resell. He recently completed a tricky restoration on a famous California artist's painting that we initially thought was a nocturnal it was SO dirty...it wasn't, it was a sunrise...and it required careful cleaning and removing a previous restoration attempt on a tear. Because of Chris's amazing work, it's now a gorgeous painting ready for a new home. Chris unwavering cheerful and is ne plus ultra art conservation professional. His updates and documentation with photos are clear and precise so you know exactly what is and has been done which is super important to have for resell documentation. His fees are very fair for the years of education and expertise he brings to the table. I also applaud his teaching the next generation of conservators by extending post grad internships. read more

I would give Möbius Art Conservation a six star review if I could. Chris Kenney, the owner and art conservator, has done work for our family for over 15 years. He is a wizard when it comes to resurrecting art from decay. Chris 'brought to life' an irreplaceable early 19th C. family oil portrait as well as other paintings of various ages and states of disrepair. Chris is versatile. He does fine framing and repaired some frames for us as well as making a beautiful display case (vitrine) for our antique telescope. He carefully analyses and explains the damage and what needs to be done, and provides important written documentation. He is also an expert on antique photography and advised us about how to store our heirloom family photos. In addition, Chris is a very pleasant and witty conversationalist, fun to talk with! He has adapted his studio and services to be safe during the pandemic. As another review mentioned, how lucky we are to have Möbius Art Conservation close by in Santa Cruz! read more

Chris Kenney is the Art Whisperer! He restored a painting of my ancestor that had been torn in several places and was filthy. It is now clean, repaired, and is gorgeously hanging on my wall after months of tedious work on his part. I can't recommend him enough! Mobius is the place to go if you have a painting that needs restoring! read more

Chris Kenny of Mobius fixed two problems for me. One was a wooden frame that had the center cross bar pushing into the back of my beautiful large oil painting. He removed the cross bar carefully and stabilized the back so that would not happen. He got it ready for hanging back on the wall. The other item he fixed was a very old antique frame, that was separating at the corner. Because the frame was constructed with layers of wood, and turned out to be warped, he had to perform some clamping magic on it. The picture itself turned out to be a very old print, and not an oil, so that was an interesting surprise. However, he brightened it up as well as he could without damaging it, and I am very pleased with the result. I feel very fortunate that Chris is in our fair city, and that I didn't have to ship it or drive to San Francisco. His prices were very reasonable, so I encourage you to fix those old pieces and bring them back to life by Chris! read more

Chris Kenny, the owner of Mobius Art Conservation, is fantastic. Over the past 20 years, as the owner of The Frame Studio-Capitola, I have referred many of my clients to Mobius and everyone follows up with positive comments. read more

Chris recently completed an exquisite restoration of a beautiful impressionist painting from Spain, which I inherited from my mother. He thoroughly explained the cleaning and touch up painting process prior to beginning the project, and e-mailed pictures and updates as he progressed. During the process, he discovered that the painting had been previously restored, but was able to remove some areas of paint from that restoration, in order to allow the intent of the artist to emerge. The painting is now hanging in a room where we spend a lot of time, so we can just sit and stare at it, as it has literally come back to life. Even though I have worked in an art gallery, and have frequented many of them, I feel like my "art education" expanded greatly during this process. Chris is fun to work with, his fees are reasonable, and I look forward to working with him on a future restoration project. We are very fortunate to have him in Santa Cruz. He is a true professional. read more

Chris Kenney is a very nice and helpful man who has helped me get in touch with the right person to get a customer's silk screen repaired and returned. Thank you for taking the time to get me the info that I needed. It's greatly appreciated! read more

I inherited many fine art lithographs, paintings, and various sculptures, many in need of minor to moderate repair to return them to their former condition. I heard about Chris Kenney through local museums​​, local acquaintances and friends and he has been tending to my art collection for years now. I had the pleasure of listening to his recent talk at the Monterey Art Museum and decided to let him know of my appreciation here in a review. Much of my paintings are valuable, as well as have sentimental value to me and I wouldn't trust them to a lesser qualified person. He has also advised me with, sales, maintenance, display, storage and transport. So grateful for Chris at Mobius! read more

Ditto to Susan's comments. We both strongly recommend Mobius for restoration work of valuable canvas paintings. Mobius provides a very professional service usually found only in metropolitan areas. Santa Cruz in lucky to have his talent. read more

I experienced a very professional and expedient restoration from Chris. Highly recommended.

I had recently purchased a 19th century painting through eBay that I knew was in poor shape (as given the description). However, the subject matter was of great interest to my family history so I wanted it restored. When I purchased the painting I had no idea what a restoration would entail. Boy, was I in for a lesson. Chris Kenney was recommended to me by Lenz Arts in Santa Cruz and I wasn't disappointed in the recommendation. Although not the cheapest art restoration specialist -- by his own admission -- he is probably the best in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area. Chris spent a lot of time with me examining the painting and recommending what was worth the effort and what wasn't. I know that everyone who buys an old painting thinks that if they take it on "Antiques Roadshow" that it will be appraised for ten times what was paid for it, but Chris won't lead you down the garden path. He is truly a professional. My painting was not done by the original painter of the scene, but it was done in the nineteenth century close to the time of the original. In other words, the painting wasn't a masterpiece, but it was worth restoring as a family keepsake. It will probably be a long time before I buy any more keepsakes, but if I do, I want them professionally restored if they are in poor shape. Don't expect Chris to give you a valuation of your painting -- he is not an appraiser. As he explained, the value of a painting will depend on a lot of things depending on the purpose of the appraisal. He doesn't do that, but he does do an excellent job of restoration. He explained many of his techniques and demonstrated some to show me how painstaking a restoration is to be done right. I was impressed. Chris is also a very interesting person to talk to. He has a lot of interesting things to say about a lot of other subjects other than restoration of paintings. I love his choice of tea. I strongly recommend Chris. Although he could have done more to my painting (such as encase it in a sealed atmosphere, put on a very expensive frame or use conservation glass to cover the painting) he didn't recommend doing things that were not necessary for my needs. That isn't to say that he couldn't do other things well, only that they wouldn't really add to my enjoyment. I like that. Its like having a car mechanic that tells you that what you want to have fixed can wait or is more expensive than it is worth. That is the kind of advice that I want to hear when I'm not the expert and allows me to make some of the critical decision. read more

We contacted Chris for advice about an old oil painting that's been in our family for a long time. We like it, but it was dark with evidence of cracking paint, and we didn't know what kind of cleaning or restoration would be appropriate, if any. We were impressed with Chris's experience and examples of his work. He provided honest, understandable information on the process and decision points for considering restoration. No pressure, no inflated promises; we felt we got a good introduction to the options, and will come back for future consultations as needed. read more

My two sisters and I inherited a number of fine art pieces (paintings, prints, sculpture) and contacted Chris Kenny for a consultation on topics ranging from restoration to sale or donation. Chris was excellent. He answered all of our questions and gave us a throughout overview of various approaches we might take to sell or donate pieces including the roles of people involved, appraisal and research resources, ways to market, and what we could expect. We came away with a far better understanding of the most appropriate steps to take in our case and a good framework for taking action. Chris is ethical, experienced, well-informed and communicates clearly. We were very pleased and would definitely return to Chris again for restoration work or additional guidance regarding our art. read more

Mobius was recommended to me by a friend who had used the company before and was very pleased. I recently inherited an oil painting that had been in my family for years. I loved the painting, but it really showed its age. I took it to Chris Kenney, the owner of Mobius. He took the time to explain the restoration process to me, and even showed how he tested some of his cleaning solvents with cotton swabs. He is very professional, but very practical and pleasant as well. His evaluation was thorough, and he elicited trust from the get-go. He understood how important the oil painting was to me, even though it wasn't particularly valuable in monetary terms. He stuck to his time frame, and even though he put in extra hours on the project, he stuck to his price estimate. Dealing with a family heirloom was an emotional experience for me, and Chris made me feel at ease. I am very pleased with the results. The painting came alive after five decades of collecting the grit and grime of everyday life. In addition, Chris researched the artist and the painting. I received hard copies and a CD of all the information for future reference, plus "before" and "after" photos. I thought this level of service would only be available in San Francisco, but Chris of Mobius in Santa Cruz did a great job for me! read more