Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply. Its very appreciated and needed
The artwork is not behind glass so that isn't an issue.
I only use natural light (from the side) when taking pictures.
The painting are hung on the wall and i use a tripod (square on).
I do usually get a bit of barraling but that can be cropped out as there is no (background) margin around the painting needed.
From all the comments I have had, I now now that a macro lens deffo isn't the way to go. I need to get the lighting right and work more on editing in PS.
Thank you very much for the help fellas.