In 1971, Robert Mitchell opened his first oil painting conservation studio in Chertsey Surrey relocating in 1974 to a second studio in Weybridge Surrey. In 1987 Robert moved back to Chertsey now the current conservation studio handling large and small oil paintings of all ages. Robert is a self taught conservator who has personally conserved over sixty thousand oil paintings making the Mitchell Conservation Studio one the most experienced in the world, his wife Vicki is his studio assistant. Over the years Robert has helped a large number of restorers to advance their restoration techniques. Robert and Vicki’s son Darrell joined the studio in 1985. In 1988 Darrell moved to Brisbane, Australia, opening his own conservation studio and Gallery. Darrell returned to England in 1998 and is now a highly experienced conservator partner in the business and a very good Artist. From 1968 to 1971 Robert researched, developed and built his own Vacuum Conservation Hot Tables. The Studio currently has five Hot Tables in use the largest is 10’x 6’6” in size, one of the largest in England. In the 1960’s as an experienced Permac Bowe Dry Cleaning Engineer Robert’s knowledge enabled him to design and build the mechanical structure, heating beds, vacuum system and the electrical control panels with very little difficulty. By 1980 Roberts’s inventive nature led him to reject the old fashioned hot iron glue and bees wax techniques (hot irons damage soft modern paint) and concentrate on low pressure low temperature bonding. Around 1990 Robert started to develop a range of Global warming friendly conservation supports, currently using eight different materials to suit the problem and the age of the paintings arriving at the Mitchell Painting Conservation Hospital.
