About Me

I have been practicing as a professional paper conservator for over 23 years and can help you with a wide variety of paper-based materials, including drawings, watercolours, prints, wallpaper, maps, plans, letters and documents. I work to the highest ethical standards and am a Professional Member of the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (PMAICCM). I am passionate about our collective cultural heritage and will care for your items as much as you do!

 

 In 1997 I was accepted into the MA Conservation course at Camberwell College of Arts, London, and was fortunate to receive funding for my studies from the Queens Trust for Young Australians and The Ian Potter Cultural Trust. After the course I gained employment at the Tate Gallery for two years where I learnt many valuable skills in conserving art on paper, especially 19th century watercolours. On my return to Australia, I have held conservator positions at the State Libraries of Victoria and New South Wales, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Grimwade Centre at the University of Melbourne, and Museum Victoria.

 

To give you an idea of the breadth of my experience, here are some highlights:

 

• Removed varnish from a rare 17th century Dutch map of Australia

• Repaired the Tonic Book used to treat Pharlap

• Removed acidic backings from watercolours by J M W Turner

• Removed stains from drawings by Mirka Mora

• Peeled back layers of wallpaper from Gulf Station, historic homestead in Yarra Valley

• Removed foxing stains from Charles Blackman lithograph

• Consolidated lifting paint flakes on painting by Fred Williams 

• Conserved garden plans by Edna Walling

• Cleaned and rehoused the original poems of Henry Kendall

• Taught paper conservation techniques to masters’ students

• Delivered papers to the conservation community and affiliated fields

 

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