Simon Michael Restoration

Simon Michael - The Muse
Restoration of a classic work by this famous South Texas artist.

Simon Michael arrived in Rockport in 1948 and became one of the founders of the Rockport Art Community. In addition to painting, Michael started the Simon Michael School of Fine Art. One of his students was another famous local artist, Dalhart Windberg. He was friends with Lincoln Borglum who, along with his father, created Mt. Rushmore.

The Coastal Bend College permanent art gallery is The Simon Michael Art Gallery at Coastal Bend College. Much of Michael's work and his personal art collection are on display at the Simon Michael Art Gallery in Rockport

Dinah Bowman commissioned Maria to restore this magnificent work of art for a Coastal Bend collector of Michael's paintings. This piece was recently found and purchased by the collector and brought to Dinah's gallery. It was not stored well and the painting is in poor condition. This improper storage and the fact that it was painted over an earlier interpretation of this work both led to the current condition of the painting. Apparently, the underlying surface was not properly prepared so the new layer is pealing in many places. There is also a spot in the upper middle that is bulged out due to something pressing on the back of the canvas over a long period of time.

We have been unable to find any information on this painting other than the fact that it is a portrait of this life long companion - his Muse. Since there is no known name for this portrait, we have taken the liberty of using the name in the title. Based on her age at the present time we believe the painting was done in the early 1960s. This painting is a “classic” from an era of elegance and beauty. The artist captured this in the woman’s face, her clothing, her hair style and the overall composition of the painting. It is a magnificent presentation of pure elegance from bygone days.

This page will document the restoration of this work of art. It will be divided into three sections. Click on each picture or text for more images.

Before Restoration

During Restoration

Finished Restoration

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