About
About — what makes a paper conservator?
The ideal combination of art, science, and craft — and the patience to question why a piece looks the way it does, before changing it forever.
Biography
I graduated from Camberwell College of Art with a BA(Hons) Paper Conservation in 1995. Since then I have worked in a private conservation studio and as a senior paper conservator in public institutions in the UK and Australia. I set up my own studio in 2017.
Ever since I was at school I always wanted to be a conservator. I loved creating my own art but always enjoyed science, as well as art history and visiting art galleries. Conservation is the ideal combination of the three. You need to be dexterous and have good craft skills. You need to understand the technical aspects of an art work — how it was made, and with what — and a basic understanding of chemistry is also important for knowing what treatments will work. What I have also come to learn is that you need to be sensitive to an art work when conserving it — question why it looks the way it does, and understand its existence before jumping in and changing it forever.
What is an ACR?
Using an Accredited Conservator-Restorer is crucial. In the UK it is a sign that someone has been assessed by their peers and found to be an expert in their area of specialisation.
If you would like to learn more, the Conservation Register is a good place to start.
Publications
I have presented my research at a number of international conferences.
In September 2016 I was fortunate enough to attend the IIC Congress LA 2016. I co-authored (with Judit Bodor and Rose Miller) and presented our research, Curation, conservation and the artist in 'Silent Explosion: Ivor Davies and Destruction in Art'.
In 2015 I travelled to Berlin to present new research into a phenomenon I identified on a 19th-century watercolour, at the XIII IADA (International Association of Book and Paper Conservation) Congress.
In 2011, at the Conservation Matters in Wales conference in Aberystwyth, I presented a paper on research into the Thomas Hornor albums of the Neath Valley.
At the 2010 ICOM-CC (International Council of Museums — Conservation Committee) photographic materials group conference in Athens, I presented a paper on research into contemporary art photography.
In 2009 I travelled to the annual AIC (American Institute of Conservation) conference in Los Angeles, where I presented my paper 'Place in Wales' — research I carried out on drawings of Wales by Francis Place, dated 1678.