April 21, 2010

When spring cleaning, take a look at the condition of home statues

By John Gleason

Religious statues are everywhere.  You find them in the cemetery and at your local parish or school.  Many can be found in homes or in commemorative gardens—maybe even in yours.  With spring here, as you tend to home repairs experts recommend checking the condition of any statues you may have decorating your home or garden.Among the greatest threats to statues are time and weather. Even the most substantial material succumbs to cracks and erosion or worse. 

Ray Gerken of Gerken’s Religious Supplies in Denver has been dealing in statues for decades.  He said people call his office weekly with questions concerning their statues.

“Some have been vandalized, others are just in need of minor work,” he said.  “Quite often the plaster work needs some attention; a finger has been lost or broken or cracks have developed.  After awhile, a statue will show its age.”
Gerken said restoring a statue isn’t usually a long process.

“Afterward, when they compare before and after photographs of the statue and see the transformation it’s gone through,” he said, “the look on their face is priceless.”

John Mazzolini’s family has been in the religious statue business since 1904.  His family’s Ohio firm, Mazzolini Artcraft Co., both sells and repairs statues in the two most popular materials—fiberglass and marble.  He said when it comes to the elements, one of the worst things that affect statues today is acid rain, which can wear away the finished exterior giving it a rougher texture. He added that mildew and mold can weaken a statue that is deprived of direct sunlight.

“Remember, it was simple water that carved the Grand Canyon,” he said. “The elements can take their toll on any statue.”

Many fiberglass repairs can be done using similar material and glue. Even marble statues can be brought back to near-new condition.

“With the use of epoxy, marble parts can be designed as fillers, they can be tinted with the correct color and built up to look like a part of the original,” he said. 

One such major restoration was performed recently in the Archdiocese of Denver after the 50-year-old Sacred Heart of Jesus statue at Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden was struck by lightning in 2007. Rich Schultheis of Premier Specialty Contractors worked on the restoration. He said the statue was also damaged from exposure to the natural elements. Another problem was the over the years the statue had received multiple coats of paint.

“What people don’t realize is that layers of paint can actually promote deterioration,” he said.  “Most paints aren’t compatible with the stone. It doesn’t let the statue breathe and it seals in unwanted moisture in a climate where temperatures can go from extremely hot to almost freezing.  That can lead to cracks and weakness.”

Schultheis said some of the Sacred Heart repairs were performed on site but other, more extensive labor had to be done in a workshop environment.

“We had to cast a new hand and arm,” he said, “which was then attached back onto the statue.  Molding the material can be quite a process but the result was very nice.”

Schultheis has worked on the restoration of dozens of statues since he got into the business in the mid-1970s.  His current project is a century-old statue of Christ on the cross at Mount Olivet Cemetery.  Statue repair is a work he enjoys not only for the satisfaction it brings him to restore a piece, but how the art is received once it’s finished.

“There’s artistry to it,” he said.  “Restoring a statue isn’t like patching a wall.  We’re bringing back the statue to its original beauty and integrity.”

Religious statues honor, instill beauty and call one to faith. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on that monument of stone that spends its time keeping an eye on you.

STATUE REPAIR INFORMATION

 Gerken’s Religious Supplies, Denver: call 303-534-8233
Mazzolini Artcraft Company, Cleveland, Ohio: visit online www.mazzoliniartcraft.com