The fresco had been damaged over the winter by a leak in the roof. This was not the first time this particular corner of the mural had been repaired. I was told that someone did some work on it last year and could see that a different hand had worked on the painting.
My intentions were to leave intact as much of the original artist's work with the least amount of interference from myself. When called upon to paint, I did so with the idea of using the true fresco technique (lime plaster and pigments) followed by a secco fresco layer with the use of casein paints.
The corner images were covered with salt: a result of the water leak pushing out elements within the roofing material through the lime plaster. I was fortunate enough to connect with fresco artist at the Fresco School who provided a formula to disintegrate the salt and restore the lime plaster back to its original constitution. The formula originated from Italy and the restoration of frescoes in Florence that were damaged during the 1966 floods. This formula was also used on the cleaning of the Sistine Chapel.
The use of the formula eliminated the salt residue and brought forth the original images painted by Dorothy Stewart.
I then laid a brown coat on the surfaces that needed patching and then laid the fresco coat on that, creating, at best, a level surface to the original fresco. During the drying stages of the brown coat, I created fresco color samples so that I could match the existing mural colors when painting in the fresco patches. In some areas of the original mural I did not lay a fresco coat as I discovered that a glaze of casein pigment washed over the original image brought back its luster and with less interference from me.
Some of the cleaned surfaces still lacked the original luster and I made glazes from the casein paints to wash over the dull areas. This worked well.
The militia men were the most difficult images to restore: somebody else had already touched upon them and there was a mixture of surfaces upon which to paint. The previous touch-ups were confusing in their drawing. I feel, however, that the job was successful, especially when considered with the medley of painted conditions on the surrounding walls: the walls that I worked on had already been touched up, the wall directly across from the militia men had also been repainted (quick note: it was once a doorway and had been filled in and painted in 1955 - the guitar player and the man behind him look like the well-known Mexican actor at that time, Cantinflas) and there is a worn feeling to the ceiling of the alcove. This all helps in the blending in of the damaged areas and to camouflage the repairs.
True fresco needs six months to a year to dry thoroughly and I will come back in that time to check the work done.
by Pamela Platt
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