Finally Caterina and Christopher have gone off for some down time this weekend as it has been a roller coaster week of lectures, students on going course projects along with planning future projects! I don't know how Caterina can keep up with it all but she just does! A Blessing for all of us all undoubtedly! So lovely to see Elizabeth again, she is an outstanding gilder and and teacher for years, we are privileged to have her here. The students have now completed their gilding unit and the studio is gleaming with their gold and silver carved relief mouldings. Zuraida is spending the weekend with her parents who have come all the way from Malaysia to visit her. She has been so great this week, retouching beautifully and helping the students to perfect their techniques also. Melina's very beautiful stature of Out Lady is almost finished! An epic project that took endless care and patience, well done Melina! It was so worth it! Thanks to Zuraida for her help also.

As there is no class today, I took the opportunity to quietly spend the morning retouching as there is still so much work to do! So continued retouching of gesso filled Portrait No 1. The multi problem one ! Remember this canvas was painstakingly removed from its inappropriate disintegrating backing board by student Caetano some weeks ago. The canvas has had a very successful reline, left now are many hours of retouching! Caetano came to the studio to catch up on his course work as he missed a day this week.he gilded his carved relief and completed retouching his statue of Our Lord and applied 23.5 ct gold leaf to areas of loss. It's amazing as this piece was in many pieces to begin with now it's a fine example of a well conserved polychrome statue. Excellent work !

Luckily for me I got invited to a great lunch in a local haunt in Panjai, very yummy! Thanks Caetano. Georgina the last of our lot arrived tomorrow for the last leg of the project. Yikes a log to achieve next week! Georgina's help will be very necessary.