I really enjoy having the opportunity to bring loved but damaged wooden sculptures back to life.

These have included carvings by some important figures in African art. The two figures shown above (before restoration in 2020) have been attributed to the late George Lilanga, possibly the most important artist to have come from Tanzania. They show ‘shetani’ figures: powerful spirits who must be respected. Here is one after being reunited with its feet:

..and here’s the other with its head back in place:

​The large and heavy sculpture below (it is about a metre long) was carved by the Zambian sculptor Friday Tembo, who passed away in 2004. It shows a shaman in the act of transforming into a fish. The sculpture had been broken into fragments by accident and needed careful restoration in 2009 to bring it back to a presentable state.

​It’s an honour to have been given the chance to work on sculptures by such important artists.