Michele Kay - Fine Paintings Conservation

We approached Michelle to remedy a long scratch across an oil painting in our family for over 50 years. Michelle is a truly professional art conservationist and restorer. She is knowledgeable, sensitive and conservative in her approach. She explained in detail the process she would follow and corrective remedies to restore this painting. Michele is thorough and went much beyond our expectations. She did an amazing job retouching, and with the painting’s general renewal. We are truly impressed with her efforts and dedication towards accuracy and restoration. We couldn’t be more appreciative and pleased with her work! Thank you Michelle!

Michele Kay has restored several paintings for me. She is highly skilled and most meticulous. Her work ranged from a light cleaning to major restoration. The photographs show an Orientalist arab bazaar scene by a noted 19th century French artist. The painting was in sorry condition when I purchased it at auction. The canvas was torn in several places and missing in others; there were distortions in the canvas plane with several creases and missing paint; there was a heavy layer of accumulated soot and grime on thesurface. Michele Kay did a fantastic job in conserving this work to its original condition.

Shortly before the pandemic, I engaged Michele to restore two oil paintings of my ancestors. Both were painted in 1864, and had been badly treated for most of the last 100 years; both were filthy, with pealing paint and some gashes in the canvas. It was not cheap, but I decided that I either had to commit to saving these paintings, or throwing them out. I bit the bullet and Michele got to work. The results are nothing less than spectacular. Her slow, patient, incredibly detailed efforts did much more than I could have hoped for. Michele is truly an expert -- if the art matters to you, she is the person to go to.

Ms Kay is a highly trained and very professional restorer. What makes her work so valuable to me is that her sense of where to stop the treatment is most important in the restoration of Old Master paintings, which require a very sensitive approach. The art of retouching is equally important where paint layers have been lost or discolored and in that respect Ms Kay's work is beyond compare. I trust her judgment fully and recommend her with all confidence.