Murals of Los Angeles
Conservation Program

[setting down lifting paint]

Conservation technician Audra
Weaser sets down lifting paint with
a tacking iron and heat activated
adhesive on Cecil.
Even the briefest tour around Los Angeles would reveal this striking fact: The City of Angels is abloom in a unique and unrivaled collection of public murals. From the rich diversity of its sprawling ethnic neighborhoods, the city's walls, bridges and even freeway abutments have been transformed into street posters for Los Angeles' cultural history and identity, showcasing an estimated 1,500 murals – more than any other urban center. The City of Los Angeles has sponsored, in part or entirely, many of these public masterpieces.
 [conservators on scaffolding]

Conservator Leslie Rainer and
assistant Masako Enamoto
consolidate flaking paint on
Cecil by Richard Wyatt.

You wouldn't abandon the Mona Lisa out in the rain and sun without an expert guardian – and the same is true of Los Angeles' rich collection of outdoor murals. Beyond commissioning original art, the City's Cultural Affairs Department also monitors the condition of L.A.'s murals. When the stress of public life starts to show, this unique street art comes under the care of art conservators – professionals whose job it is to keep the original looking great.

 [removing dirt and anti-graffiti coating with heated water spray]
Dolores del Rio, Alfredo de Batuc, 1990 (detail)

Environmental dirt and failing anti-graffiti
coatings are removed by conservator Chris
Stavroudis with a powerful yet precisely
controlled spray of heated water.

When Good Murals Go Bad…

For all its rich profusion, Los Angeles' gallery of street art will always be an endangered species. The very visibility of public murals makes them vulnerable to attack and deterioration from a variety of environmental factors. The powerful sunlight of a Southern California summer can cause chemical degradation of the paint medium and fading of susceptible pigments.

Over time this, plus the accumulation of urban grime, will dull the vibrant colors of acrylic paint. The sun can heat the surface to delaminate and crack the paint. Moisture is also an enemy of murals. If moisture – from any source – becomes absorbed into the wall behind the mural, it can cause the paint to blister and peel off the surface. An inexperienced muralist may contribute to the fragility of his/her work with incorrect surface preparation, problematic siting and substandard materials. Finally, neglect combined with the reality of frequent defacement of public art, leaves Los Angeles' murals in a state of continuous jeopardy, requiring regular maintenance – and the expert assistance of conservation professionals.
[Ghosts of the Barrio - detail before treatment]
Ghosts of the Barrio,
 [Ghosts of the Barrio - detail after treatment]
Wayne Alaniz Healy, 1974 (detail)

Treatment brings back clarity to an image that had been obscured by graffiti.

EXPERT INTERVENTION

The conservator employs an impressive range of instruments, from the latest high-tech tools to sponges and tiny paint brushes – plus a unique approach to "seeing" paint on a wall. In the initial evaluation, ultrasonic tape measures record the mural's dimensions; GPS coordinates produce a precise location. Digital cameras are used in combination with portable computers to enter dozens of measurements and observations into a database of all the murals in Los Angeles. Before treatment, a detailed inspection – including tapping and thumping the mural by hand – can reveal surface, and deeper details often invisible to the naked eye. After consultation with the artist, the conservation process begins with as thorough a cleaning as the mural surface can withstand: a hot pressure wash for paint in good condition; for others, a gentle spray with distilled water.

To prevent further deterioration, the mural must first be stabilized: cracks in the substrate may be injected with mortars or acrylic emulsions; dry or chalking paint surfaces are consolidated with compatible material.

While flakes of lifting paint are reattached with handheld tacking irons and a thermoplastic adhesive, areas of total loss are meticulously "inpainted" to match the surrounding surface without painting over original work. In the final stage, a wax-based anti-graffiti coating may be applied to protect the surface, and the treatment is documented with photography and a report with a description of the materials and methods of treatment, as well as recommendations for ongoing maintenance.

 [artist and conservator inpainting Can of Cardines]

Conservator Aneta Zebala working with
artist Sandy Bleifer inpainting damage to
her mural Can of Cardines painted in 1975.

[removing plaster overfill from Cecil]

Removing plaster overfill
from Cecil reveals original
paint below.

For more information, contact the
Cultural Affairs Department,
City of Los Angeles:

Phone: (213) 473-8344

www.culturela.org
[removing overpaint from Cecil]



Overpaint from a previous
restoration obscures Richard
Wyatt’s original work and is
removed with solvents.

Dolores del Rio, Alfredo de Batuc, copyright 1990 Alfredo de Batuc
6529 Hollywood Boulevard at Hudson Avenue
Originally Commissioned by SPARC through its Great Walls Unlimited:
Neighborhood Pride Program, with support from the Cultural Affairs Department
Thomas Guide 593 E4

Cecil, Richard Wyatt, 1989
Watts Towers Arts Center, 1727 East 107th Street between Willowbrook and Alameda
Originally Commissioned by SPARC through its Great Walls Unlimited:
Neighborhood Pride Program, with support from the Cultural Affairs Department
Thomas Guide 704 G5

Ghosts of the Barrio, Wayne Alaniz Healy, 1974
Ramona Gardens, Building 2731-37, Lancaster Avenue at Murchison Street
Thomas Guide 635 C3

Can of Cardines, Sandy Bleifer, 1975
Hayvenhurst Avenue at underpass of Ventura Fwy. (101)
Thomas Guide 561 E2

Department of Cultural Affairs
City of Los Angeles
201 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1400
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.202.5500