AT CITY & GUILDS OF LONDON ART SCHOOL

CONSERVATION PROJECT 2010

This is the Buddha at the Buddist Centre in Kennington, South London.  
This stone carving had been out in all weathers and was in need of some care and attention.

Buddha partially cleaned with steam cleaner

Here you can see clearly where the Bath stone has been cleaned.  

This was done using an industrial steam cleaner, lots of brushing and using

a biocide to get rid of and to prevent algae forming on the stone.

Buddha totally cleaned

Here is the buddha all cleaned to begin the pigmented limewash prior to the gilding work.

Buddha limewashed and partially gilded

 Here we've put on the pigmented limewash and have gilded the head, hand and feet.  
We used a coating of 3 hour gilding size on top of the pigmented limewash to take the gold leaf. 

We didn't gild the cushion or the hair (bumps of knowledge) as historically these are not gilded.

We painted the 'bumps of knowledge' with casein paints which will cross-link with the stone over time.

The unveiling of the Buddha after finishing the project

And here is the finished Buddha, gilded in two shades of gold leaf.  At the unveiling ceremony the original carver of the Buddha came and we threw silk scarfs onto the buddha and said prayers.  It was a lovely project to be involved with.  A hood has been made to protect the gilding from bad weather.

Left to right top row, Marina Sokhan, Head of Conservation at City & Guilds School of Art,
Hugi, Jonathan Kemp V&A, Nick Durnan (the original sculptor of the Buddha) Yelena, Jennifer Dinsmore (stone tutor),
myself, Caroline, Lou, Sara Healey V&A

The Cosmati Pavement - Westminster Abbey

One of my summer placements whilst at City and Guilds of London School of Art was at Westminster Abbey, conserving the Cosmati Pavement with my fellow classmates Lianne and Lucy which has now been completed.  Unfortunately, I was not present at the filming of the video as I was rushed into hospital!!  I did however manage to work for four weeks doing the same work as my colleagues.  Lucy now works at Westminster Abbey in the Conservation Department.

Click on the link below to see a video of what we did..........

Summer Placement 2009 Westminster Abbey 

This tomb intrigued me the most because the turquoise, red and white mosaics
were made of glass and there was no evidence of where it originated. 

After taking away the hard Victorian portland cement from around the tesserae we
built walls of Paraloid B72 and microballoons to protect the stones prior to new fills. 

Another part of the floor that has had the old hard mortars removed and
are being protected prior to new fills.

Lazer cleaned part of one of the tombs that is part of the floor

New Purbeck marble sections from the original quarry
 to replace the worst deteriorated stones in the floor

About me

WHITING CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION

Working on a Victorian Italian micro-mosaic in my last year at University 2011

This is where I spend most of my time these days!

This blog is a record or diary of work carried out in my new restoration and conservation studio in Kent, UK.  New objects constantly arrive and each one needs different types of work and treatments to be done.  It will be interesting to see how it goes and of course, to look back at how I have progressed through the months and years.  

In 2007 I started a BSc (Hons) Degree in Conservation and Restoration at London Metropolitan University and transferred in 2008 to City & Guilds of London School of Art to do a BA (Hons) in conservation studies.  

I have decided to concentrate on the restoration of ceramics.  My previous work in ceramics has given me an appreciation of the skills and the knowledge of how ceramics were and are made.  It was interesting finding out about the science behind the materials and their treatments as well as informing and building on my skills.  I had been drawn to restoring and conserving ceramics as I was familiar with the material and the decorative processes, but I have found out that making and restoring/conserving are two separate things!  

Anyway here we are at the start of my studio showing you case studies explaining my work and how I'm achieving it ....................

PRIOR TO MY DEGREE

My background has always been involved with hand-made crafts.  Fashion design and textiles, working for a stained glass company (after a two year course) and decorative painting.  Prior to my degree in conservation I spent 8 years creating bespoke tiles and architectural ceramics, from clay to glazed finished product which were sold to interior designers both in the UK and internationally. I particularly enjoyed painting cobalt freehand onto tin glazed tiles (majolica) and using enamels for decorative murals on glazed tiles (see pictures below).

Below a magazine article about the ceramics studio 'The Annexe" in 1996, (the creative arm of Paris Ceramics, London)  You can see me at work with my back facing the photo-shot in the second photo.  I also continued the same work when 'The Annexe' moved the whole operation to France continuing to supply Paris Ceramics to their 10 outlets in America and Europe.

Magazine article about the studio in London 1996

Here I am sitting with my back to the camera in the middle of painting some cobalt work

Bespoke hand-made tiles based on a floor situated at
The Palace of the Popes, Avignon, France.
This floor tile was very popular as I painted more than 4,000 of these tiles 16 designs,
freehand using copper and manganese onto unfired tin glaze. 

Birds and Urn enamels painted on wood fired tin glazed tiles from Spain

Alphabet designs painted in enamels on the same Spanish tiles

Other ceramic projects -  Stone fired ceramic tiles and architectural mouldings for gymnasium for private

client in Luxembourg, below - Sculpted lettering/symbols bathroom panel using oxides and underglazes.

Warrior ceramic bisque with decoration using oxides and mosaic 

SOME OF MY STAINED GLASS WORK

Top left to right - bathroom window panel installed lengthways into exterior encasing with steel supports.  
Window of lady holding flowers with painted panels using silver stain and oxides on coloured glass,  Lower left - bathroom window panel, Lower right - stained glass set into wooden screen using acid etched blue flash glass and a selection of hand blown and machine made glass.