could possibly make a statue of Our Lady of the Well, as none suitable existed.

a 'make do' and mend feature; a wooden dowel substituted for a flute.

A Pieta statue which holds dear memories for parishioners is restored

Saint Kostka to St. Neri Father arrived with a broken statue of Saint Stanislav Kostka for us to transform into Saint Philip Neri. Saint Stan was 17 when he passed from this world, whereas Saint Philip was 79. His features were soft and immature compared to the heavy browed and bearded Philip. in regard to ageing the figure, Father was happy to make a compromise, and asked us to portray Saint Philip in his 40's.; A good choice because working on an existing statue has it

Working as a Religious artist was never presented to me as a viable career path...

Damaged nodding angel statue This nodding angel made everyone who saw it in my repair shop smile. Smiles are something we have all missed, having worn masks for far too long, so his arrival was more than welcome. I wondered how many children over the years would have enjoyed popping a penny into the mission box, to see the angel nod its head in approval; such a simple thing that brings to mind our guardian angels encouraging us to do good. How old is the angel? The nodding

The following story tells of a poor Crib ox...he had no legs at all....and his tail was missing too!

Art and ancestors My dad didn't want me to work with plaster as he had done. He said it was messy and dusty and he wanted something...

Ireland has three Patron saints; St. Patrick, Saint Columcile, and Saint Brigid of Kildare. This statue of St. Brigid had been restored...

Restoring a statue of Saint Joan of Arc. Restoring Statue of Saint Joan Visionary & Martyr We are much accustomed to seeing St. Joan dressed in armour ready for battle, yet this lovely statue by Rafl of Paris depicts St. Joan in a more subdued mood during one of her visions. In this attitude, she reminds us that being attentive to God's voice, prepares us for life's battles. Once restored the statue's new home will be a Girl's school in France. Surface damage I am uncertain w

Restoring a Baby Jesus figure This Bambino was produced by Maison Rafl studio. Its broken arm had been covered in a resinous clay, which...

Praise Him with Strings and Pipe! This Nativity shepherd is from a 40 inch plaster nativity set. It had become rather grubby and damaged...

Appreciation for the art of Saint Supplice One producer of religious statuary, which I encounter often, is "Maison Raffl". The studio had...

This lovely Pieta, originally by Meyers of Munich, had last been polychromed in the 1930's (The decorative artist had dated his work to tell us so!) Now 70 years later, it was due a complete makeover. The colours of the figure had oxidised, and the base was broken in several places. The halos had also tarnished and needed attention - the decorative detail on Mary's cloak was generally faded. Repairing the hand of Jesus 1. Here is a hairline split in the index finger. Seems li

Replacement hand made for statue of Our Lady Mother When Fr. Simon brought this statue to us for repair, it came with lots of "extras"... "Extra" layers of paint, "extra" dust, and "extra" beads. The beads were mostly fragments of costume jewellery; the centre of the crown was filled with an abundance of silver "pearls" nesting in its centre. One bead was decorated with the word "Mother" which was touching to find. The hand which held a sceptre was missing. Queen of Heaven