Painting Restored To Original Luster

Rick Parker from Parker Conservation explains the process it took to restore the Dixieland House painting Friday, March 29, 2013, at 120 W. Walnut St. in Rogers during Finders Keepers' first meeting of the year. The painting, owned by the Rogers Historical Museum, is believed to have been painting in the early 20th century. The painting is of a house which used to be located at West Walnut Street and North Dixieland Road in Rogers.

Rick Parker from Parker Conservation explains the process it took to restore the Dixieland House painting Friday, March 29, 2013, at 120 W. Walnut St. in Rogers during Finders Keepers' first meeting of the year. The painting, owned by the Rogers Historical Museum, is believed to have been painting in the early 20th century. The painting is of a house which used to be located at West Walnut Street and North Dixieland Road in Rogers.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

ROGERS — A tightly rolled oil painting on canvas that depicts a bit of the city’s history has been restored.

James Clark found the painting in the attic when he moved into a house on Cherry Street, then donated it to the Rogers Historical Museum in May 2011, said Terrilyn Wendling, curator of collections at the museum.

Members of Finders Keepers, a group interested in historic objects, viewed the restored painting Friday. Rick Parker, who restored the painting, described the restoration process, complete with photos of the painting, before it was restored. The museum gave Parker the painting in June 2011 and he returned in August, museum representatives said.

Vera Hill painted the picture of Dixieland House, according to museum officials. Hill and her husband, Vance, once lived in the house on Cherry Street.

It’s believed the painting was done in the early 1900s. Dixieland Road was named after the house, according to historians.

The house and ranch were outside Rogers when the painting was done. The house sat where Price Cutter is now on Dixieland Road, north of Walnut Street. The painting is the only existing image of Dixieland House, according to museum representatives.

Questers International Chapter 906-The Happy Rackensackers paid for restoration, said Kathleen Dickerson, recording secretary for the organization.

“The museum didn’t have the money in the budget, so we agreed to pay for the restoration,” Dickerson said. “We told Rick we only had $1,500 for the restoration and he agreed to the price.”

“You wouldn’t believe the shape this was in was in when I first saw it,” Parker said. “The painting was rolled so tight and had been compressed even more by something heavy that had been placed on top of the painting as it sat in the attic.”

Parker, who lives in Gentry, is a well-known art and furniture restorer who was trained and worked at the Smithsonian Institution for many years.

“We don’t know exactly when she painted the picture,” Parker said. “My best guess would be around 1910.”

It took Parker nearly a year to carefully unroll the painting before he could begin the restoration process. He said he placed the painting in a box with a slightly elevated temperature. Slowly over a period of months the painting began to unroll.

“Each time I touched the painting more paint would come off. I had to be very careful,” Parker said.

Once the painting was finally flat enough, Parker said he began the painstaking process of matching and blending paint to fill in areas where the paint had fallen off.

“You don’t paint over it. You use very small brushes to dab tiny drops of paint onto the painting,” Parker said.

Parker also built a frame and restretched the canvas to fit the frame.

Another frame, representing the type used in the 1900s, is needed to fully restore the painting to the correct period, Parker said.

The painting is in storage at Rogers Historical Museum, said John Burroughs, assistant museum director.

“We are talking about displaying the painting, but haven’t made a decision yet,” Burroughs said Friday.