Conserving Old Master Drawings: A Balancing Act

A fundamental role of a museum is to care for its collection and preserve it for future generations. European drawings from the 1300s to the late 1800s, or old master drawings, are particularly vulnerable--they are on paper and hundreds of years old. A paper conservator must find the balance between maintaining the historical integrity of the drawing while preserving the appearance intended by the artist.

Watch a Getty conservator analyze and treat a drawing using a variety of techniques in this short video.

Great Museums : An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The extraordinary legacy of Philippe de Montebello, who served for 31 years as Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. During his tenure, Mr. de Montebello guided the acquisition of more than 84,000 works of art, demanded innovation in conservation techniques, and oversaw the doubling of the physical size of this world-renowned cultural institution. For more information, visithttp://greatmuseums.org.

Pelicans and egrets, oh my!

Pelican

The white pelicans are returning to their breeding grounds in Denver.  I never new they flew so far inland!

Egret

The egrets are nesting at City Park.

Springtime in the Rockies

It is springtime in the Rockies!

Pansies are such enchanting flowers.  I remember the first time I saw pansies.  My Kindergarten teacher took us to her house to show us her garden.  I was absolutely enchanted by these amazing flowers with such sweet faces.

The Missing Piece: The Truth about the Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa

The Missing Piece:  The Truth about the Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa

We attended the annual FOPAS (Friends of Painting and Sculpture) annual meeting and reception last night. There was a screening of a very funny and riveting documentary about Vincent Peruggia, the man who stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911, his 84-year-old daughter who thought he did it for patriotic reasons, and the filmmaker who spent more than 30 years trying to find the truth. It was written and produced by Joe Medeiros, former head writer for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."  Joe and his wife were on hand to answer questions about the film.

Checkered Lily

Checkered Lily

There was a most curious lily in the Botanic Gardens that I spotted today - a beautiful, delicate checkered lily, which I sketched and painted on the spot.

Author Cara Black

Cara's New Novel

We braved the Colorado spiring snow and headed down to the Denver Woman's Press Club where Cara Black, author of the nationally bestselling and award nominated Aimée Leduc Investigation series, read from her new novel Murder Below Montparnasse.  Cara talked about her rapport with the Paris police as well as the intensive research she does on every novel.