If you bought a artwork on stretched canvas, here are a couple frequent occurrences which have easy and quick remedies:
Dent or Canvas Sag
Let's say you unintentionally pushed against the backside of the stretched canvas painting which created a dent, or maybe the canvas has simply sagged over time because of temperature and humidity levels...
Remedy:
Sprinkle the backside of the canvas with lukewarm (not hot) water and as the water disappears the canvas shrinks back into shape. Don't over-saturate. It is advisable to continue this procedure a couple of times in intervals of one hour, instead of over saturate it the 1st time. This works 99% of the time
Distorted Stretcher Bars
Let's say if your artwork was travelling from it's original location to you and was totally exposed by the shipment carrier to intense heat, cold, and/or humidity OR after some time in your own house, due to a change in temperature and/or humidity levels, the wooden stretcher bars may have warped. Sometimes the warping can be significant, much of the time they're minor and undetectable.
Remedy for minor warps:
What you will need to have: Bowl, water, rag/towel, Kraft or Butcher paper, four books and 4 weights (either exercise weights or simply just 4 big rocks)
-Choose a location within your house that doesn't get a lot of traffic and will be out of your way for one day or two. Ideally the floor or perhaps a table.
-Create a clean dry surface in which you will later lay your painting face down. This is important: DO NOT use a plastic bag because it can stick to a painting, Don't use newspapers since the print can pass on onto the painting. Use clean non-stick material like butcher or Kraft paper.
-Fill up a container with luke-warm water. Flip the painting over, put it facedown on the area you've just made, and wet the wooden stretcher bars with a soaked rag/towel, ensuring to keep wetting the bars until you see they are completely wet. Put 1 book on each of the 4 edges of the canvas and then put your weight on the top of the books. Wait 1 day. For good measure, I would recommend taking the books and rocks off after 24 hours, rewetting the bars, and placing the books and rocks back for another one day.
IF this does not work, sad to say it means the warp is a significant one and the painting will have to be brought to a local stretching and frame store to be re-stretched.
