Testimonials
In her clients' words
Conservators are most often judged by other conservators. The voices that matter most to me, though, are the people whose pieces I look after.
Pauline Richards
South Wales · November 2023
One fateful morning I came downstairs to find water pouring down an inside wall. Realising my eight watercolour paintings were affected by the water, on instruction from my insurance company I was told to "find someone to save them."
I contacted a university to ask their advice and thankfully they gave me the name and telephone number for Emily O'Reilly. In contacting her I was amazed that she offered to open her studio on a Saturday morning, as the paintings needed to be out of their frames as soon as possible.
I am now very happy to say Emily has worked her magic and saved all eight watercolours that were priceless to our family. I have no doubt that without her quick intervention, the paintings have been saved and dried, pressed, treated, re-framed and now look amazing in their new frames. I highly recommend Emily O'Reilly as a Paper Conservator. Her work is amazing.
Peter and Jane Hordley
Pembrokeshire and Cardiff · March 2021
We have used Emily on several previous occasions for our 'rescued' artworks purchased at auction, and were only too pleased to have her undertake work on our latest acquisitions: a Mary Fedden pencil drawing and a Frank Brangwyn ink sketch. Both were in need of expert attention, having variously suffered from poor treatment in earlier mounting, presentation and framing, and from subsequent extended ownership neglect.
They are once again looking refreshed, revived, re-glazed and one reframed, ready for us to enjoy. We also have the satisfaction and reassurance of knowing they've been professionally treated and conserved for the future, for which we felt a degree of responsibility.
Emily always provides a detailed assessment, advice and, where relevant, options for presentation in her estimate. On completion, the photographically illustrated report provides comprehensive documentation of the treatment and the work's journey, and is an invaluable addition to its provenance. The final account has always mirrored the estimate, even when we have asked that any unexpected variables be factored in. She is unfailingly enthusiastic, generous with her time, and makes us feel relaxed and welcome whenever we visit or speak with her. We consider ourselves fortunate indeed to have someone with Emily's experience and skills available to us.
Geoff & Chris Neuss
Llantwit Major · June 2019
We are really pleased with the restoration and reframing Emily has carried out for us. Although probably not a great work of art, I have a cartoon drawn in 1944 of my father while he was in the RAF in the Second World War, and it has great personal value. For the past seventy-five years it had been sandwiched between a sheet of glass and a piece of millboard, held together with insulating tape. Mould had grown on the inside of the glass and there was some damage to the cartoon.
Because we live locally we took it to show Emily, and she explained carefully what she could do, also showing us some of her other on-going projects in her workshop. We were happy to entrust the work to her, and the repair, restoration and reframing is all of an exceptionally high standard. The final cost exactly matched the estimate Emily gave us when we first visited.
Private client
Carmarthen · May 2018
We all have those pieces of art bought online on impulse — because we like the artist and not the picture. So it was with our chalk drawing. It arrived even uglier than anticipated and languished for a while before we took it for a reframe. Our framer refused to touch it: firstly, it was potentially valuable; secondly, it needed serious restoration and conservation. "Go see Emily in Penarth," she said. So we did. Things got a lot, lot better.
We are complete novices in this space, and Emily's patience, tact and skill were a joy. She gave us many options, documented her work, even tapped her network for more information on our drawing — and yes, it does look like Slade school, mid-1890s. All of this paled into insignificance when she revealed the magic she had worked: what had been a dreary and ugly drawing was transformed into a vibrant, beautiful drawing, preserved for future generations. We can't thank her or recommend her enough. Diolch, Emily.
Private client
Penarth · April 2018
Emily has worked on a number of paper items for me. She is experienced and extremely knowledgeable, discusses the treatments clearly, and gives competitive estimates. As expected from an accredited conservator, Emily uses museum-standard conservation techniques. The cleaned and remounted Edwardian watercolours look wonderful.
J Harris, for L & M Harris
Cardiff · November 2017
Finding anyone in Britain who does restoration work on treasured works of art — especially paintings, artwork that can easily be ruined — is challenging, and not a skill that's inexpensive when done by a competent artisan technician. So it was a great comfort to find that Emily O'Reilly, who has impressive credentials, was local to me. I could visit her studio, see examples of her work, and hear first-hand about the processes involved: care and attention, in a specific order, with the necessary time allowed for each step. This all needs to be individually assessed and tailored to each painting.
It's a process that has probably not raised the value of our particular painting (a significantly 'foxed' watercolour) by more than the cost of the restoration, although this is just my own assessment. Fortunately Emily's cost was clearly lower than the other shortlisted restorer, who was also not local, meaning we'd have needed to ship our painting to them. The important outcome is that our painting has been visually returned to near-perfect condition, using materials that — with care on our part — will mean it sustains its restored condition for a lifetime. In short, we are completely satisfied with each of the individual improvements, and overall delighted with Emily's work.