Upcoming Conservation Project — Saint Joseph

Another project new to the studio is this three-foot-tall carved wooden figure of St. Joseph.  My task will be to sculpt a new arm, which means I will need to look at a lot of similar sculptures, then fabricate a new one to make the sculpture seem whole.

One thing I will probably do to make the task “read” more sensibly is to apply an easily removable whitewash over the entire surface so that I can concentrate more fully on the form.  I will also try to discern a color scheme to see if there was polychrome or if it was simply painted to mimic plaster or marble.

Stay tuned.