Meet Lisa Capano | Painting Conservator: Painting Restoration and Conservation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Capano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Most outsiders haven’t ever heard about Art Conservation and Restoration. Many people visit museums, but haven’t thought about what it takes to make a painting look great and keep it in good condition. Those who have visited Europe have probably seen scaffolding up inside of churches or next to walls, and have wondered what is going on underneath the covering plastic sheets, etc. When I tell people that I restore and conserve paintings, they usually give me a blank stare. They don’t know what to say because most don’t know what it means. I usually continue with “ I am an Art Doctor. If a painting is damaged, then I fix it.” Only then do I see that a person actually comprehends what I do as a job. Usually, I will show them some photos of Before, During, and After Restoration and Conservation Treatment, and then amazement will show on their faces!
The best part is delivering a piece of restored art to a client who had no idea how it could possibly look so beautiful after conservation treatment. Even “test cleaning areas” of a dirty surface of a painting will reveal what lies underneath, and the possibilities of envisioning how a painting looked when it was first painted.
I absolutely love my job, and I get to take care of damaged paintings and give them a new chance at living and being enjoyed by so many people for so many years in the future.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a self-employed Painting Conservator and have been in business since 1989. I truly love working for myself. I have learned time management, finance management, and teaching/explaining skills over the years of being in practice.
It excites me to restore and conserve a damaged piece of art that has been a part of a family’s life, and can now be enjoyed by future generations.
Having a positive and outgoing personality has helped me create a successful business that has made me proud of who I am and what I do. I also wanted to be self-sufficient and be excellent at what I do. The drive for success on all levels, while making people happy with the end results, has allowed me to still enjoy and have passion for what I do as a Painting Conservator.
In 2020 I moved from Colorado to California and had to start my business and clientele list from scratch. Clients from Colorado still continue to use me, preferring to ship paintings to me for restoration and conservation. I had to adapt to using a website and belonging to Yelp and other search engines to get my name out in the field, I had to give presentations over Zoom meetings to organizations and high school career days, and I had to learn how to use social media to advance visual connections by posting examples of restored and conserved paintings with possible clients.
There are always going to be challenges to overcome, but that just makes life more interesting.
I want the world to know that Art Conservation is a wonderful job and offers many areas of job opportunities and possibilities by combing Art & Science.
Saving works of art from damage and destruction gives future generations the ability to learn what the past was like: what historical things happened, what people looked like, how they dressed, what they did, and where they went. All of this is exciting and interesting to be a part of, and I thank my lucky star that I was able to discover the world of Art Conservation when I was 20 years old. It has served me well, and I am very grateful.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living and working in San Diego CA is amazing! Due to the wonderful climate, it is easy to be outdoors most everyday, enjoying activities and going places.
I take visitors to: Balboa Park where there are 17 museums to visit, gardens to walk through, theater/shows to attend, restaurants and gift shops galore!
Whale watching and wave-runner renting are things we always do when guests visit.
Driving to Point Loma Cabrillo National Park to visit the TidePools and watch jet airplanes fly by to land & take off from North Island in Coronado, or watch air craft carriers and other ships come into or leave the SD Bay is incredible!
Visiting local and nearby wineries is a lot of fun, plus there are many Farmers Markets to visit.
Seaport Village is located along Harbor Dr. and is filled with small shops and restaurants.
The USS Midway and the SD Maritime Museum/Ships are wonderful as well.
Then there are the beaches and the piers: Imperial Beach, Coronado Beach and the Hotel Del Coronado, Ocean Beach and Pier area,Belmont Park & Mission Beach with Crystal Pier, Pacific Beach with all of the surfers catching waves, La Jolla Shores and the Scripps Research Institute and Pier…… the list continues of so many other beaches to see and visit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The American Institute for Conservation is a wonderful organization that has a true Code of Ethics regarding the Restoration and Conservation of Art. I have been a member of AIC since 1989, and support their belief that “Conservation protects our heritage, preserves our legacy, and ultimately, saves our past for generations to come”.

Website: https://www.capanorestoration.com

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Image Credits
Lisa Capano, Capano Fine Art Restoration and Conservation