Portrait of Jennifer Simpson, by Peter Snow

Private Collection

The painting dates from 1956 and is painted in oil on a piece of hardboard. The smooth surface of the board has been used as the painting surface, prepared with a thin ground layer which has not provided enough ‘tooth’ for the upper paint layers. The smooth surface and storage issues led to a significant flaking issue with blisters in the background and raised curls of paint in the thicker paint passages. After extensive testing, two different types of adhesive and approaches were taken for the background areas and for the figure.