A Worker

by John Paddison (job no 3845)

This fibreglass sculpture is one of several by John Paddison; artist and lecturer at Wolverhampton College of Art during the mid-1960s. It was acquired by Wolverhampton Art Gallery in 1961 and is thought to date from 1960, the year Paddison began to experiment with fibreglass, rather than his more well-known stone-carved works.

This was originally an experimental piece and the internal armature had proved to be unsuitable for supporting the fibreglass surface. As a result cracks had appeared over most of the original joins and sections of fibreglass had broken away and become lost over the years. The resulting fragility of the sculpture meant it could no longer be safely displayed in the gallery.

The condition of the armature and the internal surfaces were examined using an endoscope. The original armature was left in place and the sculpture was strengthened from the inside. The worst of the cracks were filled and missing sections replaced with new fibreglass patches. The patched and filled areas were blended into the surrounding surface before the entire surface was repainted to match the original colouring.