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

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

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...

The crucifix painted by the Master of the Blue Crucifixes was discovered by an art collector in a convent garbage skip! Little did the...

Sanctuary Angels broken wings restored Lewis & Lewis

The first statue of Our Lady of Lourdes The statue at the grotto of Lourdes is the work of sculptor Joseph-Hughes Fabisch. He was renowned as a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, and became its director in 1874. The statue is his most famous work. It was commissioned by the Lacour sisters who wanted a statue faithful to Bernadette's description. A small plaster statue had been placed in the grotto which seemed inadequate for the growing numbers of the faithful t

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

Our lady of Lourdes restored for the shrine of St. Walburg's shrine church in Preston Artists throughout the ages have striven to depict the beauty of the Blessed Virgin. Historically she is often portrayed with a delicate chin, large eyes and small mouth. In iconography Her large eyes suggest contemplation of God, and the small mouth, the few words Mary spoke. Heaven itself has helped us to know the face of Mary; she has appeared in apparitions throughout the world, but mos

St. Anthony is a familiar figure in our churches, he either holds loaves of bread, or is depicted holding a book, with the infant Christ...

History that shaped our statues in England. We love our church statuary, from humble crib figures to great masterpieces; yet some...

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

A forlorn shrine is brought back to life! Fr. Byrne's outdoor statue of Our Lady was on the cusp of being unsalvageable. She was much-weathered, having lost her nose along with several rosary beads. Parishioners attempts at re-painting her had also not been favourable. The statue had been at the parish many years before he arrived. Having inherited it, he wanted to preserve it for the parish if possible; and sent the statue to us with the understanding it may be beyond saving

And Prayer for the conversion of England. In 1381, England was troubled by the peasants revolt against their landlords. The 14 year old...

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

Making a statue of St. Catherine of Alexandria Statue of St. Catherine for Burbage church Making the statue of St. Catherine of Alexandria Earlier this year,(2017) Reverend Hall commissioned me to make a 44 inch statue of St. Catherine of Alexandria for his parish (of the same name). Reverend Hall sent me some photos of a carved wooden flatback of St. Catherine, which he had admired. This gave me a starting point to supply some sketches of how the finished statue might look.

Just before we closed business for Christmas in 2018, we were invited to St. Joseph's to set up the newly built stable and crib figures...

Carved in Belgium 1858, restored in the U.K. 2018 ​Father wanted his Gothic stations of the cross to look as beautiful as possible. Created in 1858, the stations needed a sensitive approach to refurbishment, ensuring any new repairs married well with the age of the artworks. Make do and Mend The stations had been restored once before, in 1948, just after the war. During this period, some makeshift changes had been made, the bright colours of the frames had been painted over i

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