Back to The Gibberd Garden' again this week in the searing heat, working on a number of sculptures by various prestigious artists. I'm still cleaning headstones by the way, this is just another string to my bow.
First up was 'Pregnant Woman Kneeling' a 1978 marble masterpiece from Andy Elton. Extremely weathered I genuinely wonder if this is the first time she has been cleaned this century. Given the weathering I applied the cleaner over a week ago so it could nourish the stone and loosen the organisms which permeated it. After this I used soft plastic scrapers and a medium bristle nylon brush to remove lichen, algae and general staining. The results were remarkable everything considered.
After this was a small panoramic sculpture by Christopher Dean (not the skater !) known as the Baptistery. This is in Portland stone, the stone I worked in most during my time as a stonemason. Again it came out very well.
Last up a piece by Leslie South known as 'Lettering Panel'. Only trouble was you could barely see the lettering before I started work on it. I haven't finished it yet but the early results are remarkable as can be seen in the photos.
Above: 'Pregnant Woman Kneeling' 1978 Sculpture by Andy Elton. Above: 'The Baptistery' by Christopher Dean.
Above: 'Lettering Panel' by Leslie South.