Someone's been searching for information on how to restore a cracked painting. In short, I wouldn't, unless it was one that didn't have much value (neither financial nor sentimental). I'd rather live with it, or take it to a professional art restorer. Some degree of cracking is almost inevitable with an oil painting, and it's not to say it's going to flake off the support. Look closely at paintings in museums (not so closely you get a museum guard bothered!), and you'll see.

If you're determined to restore it yourself, one shortcut is to add a new coat of varnish, in the hope that it will "hold together" what's already there. Another option is see whether the varnish is removable and replace it. Try some solvent on a tiny bit of the painting in an corner (even better if there's some paint on the edge under a frame where it isn't usually seen). Just remember, it's easy to make a mess, you can disturb the actual paint, and you can end up worse off than only cracks.

See Also: How Do You Restore a Pollock Painting?

A poll inevitably involves the selection of favorites and the danger of those excluded feeling rejected. But I've had several requests for a poll at the end of a project, so I'm giving it a go this month. The template for creating a poll allows only 10 options, and I've compiled an entirely subjective shortlist of those urban abstraction paintings that resonate with me.

Click on a thumbnail to see a larger version of a painting, then vote by clicking on the "vote" link next to the relevant thumbnail. You can view the results of this poll so far here.

1. "I Don't Even Cast a Shadow" by Lyn Rasmussen Vote	2. "Night Reflections" by Shrl Vote
3. "Spadina at Night" by Christy Michalak Vote	4. "Cityscape" by Dorey Vote
5. "Tourists to St Paul's" by Gayle Kirton Vote	6. "Lanark" by Derek John Vote
7. "Sunset over Tampa Bay" by Shannon Dailey Vote	8. "Modern City Life" by Nancy Bowron Vote
9. "The Crowded City" by Kerry Belgrave Vote	10. "Chicago Hancock November Rain" by John Houston Vote

^{Paintings © Individual Artists}

Before I was sent a review copy of Huechroval's Pastel Color Chart I was dubious about the usefulness of it and, having seen it, I remain dubious. Sure, it's comprehensive and a lot of research has gone into it, but how often will you really consult it? Does it have US$40's worth of useful? I guess it comes down to how you approach color. Read my review...

Other Opinions on the Huechroval Pastel Color Chart:
• Making a Mark (Katherine Tyrrell)
• Pastel (Casey Klahn)
• Reviews selected by Huechroval

^{Photo: © 2008 Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc}

The patience and skill it takes to make a dolls house or miniature is something I've long admired, though I've never had the desire to attempt one myself. Until today, that is, when I saw the miniatures of artists studios created by US artist discovered Joe Fig....

I presume the Pollock and Matisse ones were based on photos, but according to this New York Times article he visited contemporary artists (such as Chuck Close) to interview them and take photos. Unfortunately Fig's website doesn't allow for deeplinking to specific images, so open his Sculpture Gallery page and give it time to load or view it as a slideshow.

See Also: Making Miniatures
(from About.com's Guide to Miniatures):
• Materials for Building Miniature Displays
• Miniature and Dollhouse Projects for Beginners