Curriculum Vitae: Carmen Deas

PAINTING RESTORER AND ILLUSTRATOR

Special field: Medieval Latin (Occidental) and Byzantine Mural Painting

 

Education

1977-81 Five years of upper secondary school in art and design at Nicolae Tonitza High School (Liceul de arte plastice si decoratiuni N. Tonitza) in Bucharest, Romania: art history, aesthetics and conservation of ancient art and besides this all of the basic practical disciplines, which belongs to the visual arts.

1981 Received after finished education Diploma De Bacalaureat: Arte Plastice si Decoratiuni

1982-87  Five years at the reputed School of Painting Conservation in Bucharest, run by the Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church of Romania (Patriarhia Romana. Comisia de Pictura Bisericearsca): besides church history,  art history, chemistry and material science, the education was dedicated to the number of practical disciplines, which belong to the profession of painting conservation, especially architectural bounded Byzantine mural painting (monumental art) on canvas, wall and wood.

1987 Passed my theoretical and practical examination at this school and received professional authorization as Painting Restorer, signed by the then Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church Toektist and Vasili Tirgovisteanue, chairman of the Counsel of Church Painting (Patriarhia Romana. Comisia de Pictura Bisericearsca). The authorization as painting restorer included cultural heritage monuments, with competence to hand in offer, to conduct conservations of ancient art in Orthodox churches and other historical monuments as monasteries and secular buildings as castles, etcetera.

 

Selected conservation projects

 

Romania

1987-88  The Church of the Dormitation of the Virgin Mary (Maria Kartagi, just outside Bucharest): Conservation of ancient Byzantine murals done in al fresco.

1988 The church of Bran in the compound of the castle of Dracula, Transylvania. Received the commission to restore existing Byzantine al fresco-paintings here, but abandon this offer due to my emigration to Sweden (see below: ”1988”).

 

Sweden

All the below listed projects has been conducted in Skåne, the southernmost region in the country. I have since the start in Sweden been working independently as painting restorer, even if I until 2006 has been employed.

1988 Left the communistic Romania and went to Sweden where I got political asylum.

1989-94  Was in 1989 employed as Painting Restorer by the famous Restorer Herman Andersson and conducted a number of conservation projects in collaboration with him in historical buildings and ancient churches with focus on occidental sacred art in Skåne (the southernmost region of Sweden).

1989 The church of Simrishamn: ecclesiastical fixtures, polychromy and regilding on wood on figurative adornments.

1990 The castle of Skottorp: Neoclassical murals from the 19th century.

1991 The castle of Kristinehov: Wall paintings from the 18th century.

1992-94  The Opera house in Ystad: conservation of neo-renaissance wall paintings and restoration of mould painting.

1995-98 Made an intermission in my activity as Painting Restorer for to work as illustrator during a three years project employed by Bo Veisland, well known for his anatomical drawing made in s.c. airbrush-technique, published in Den Svenska Nationalencyklopedin (the Swedish national encyclopaedia). Our project during these years was dedicated to provide anatomical drawings made in this technique to Lund University Hospital.   

1998-2000  Received education in image processing and computer programming at various private educational enterprises.

2000-2004 The medieval church of Barsebäck: Conservation and restoration of murals from the 14th until 16th century and ecclesiastical fixtures from the 17th century. The commission was conducted periodically and in collaboration with painting restorer Magnus Wihlborg, employed by Magnus Wihlborg Målerikonservering AB.

2002-2003 The medieval church of Stehag: Conservation of murals from the 13th century in collaboration with painting restorer Magnus Wihlborg.

2002 and 2008 Akademiska Hus (Lund University), Lund: conservation commission in two of the buildings, modern art, oil painting on plaster conducted by myself, employed by Magnus Wilhborg  Målerikonservering AB.

2003 The medieval church of Västra Nöbbelöv: Conservation of murals from the 14th century, conducted by myself, employed by Magnus Wilhborg  Målerikonservering AB.

2002-04  House of the People, Helsingborg: Restoration of 19th century wall paintings, conducted in team with the painting restorers Lars Gerdmar and Magnus Wihlborg, employed by Magnus Wilhborg  Målerikonservering AB.

2005 The medieval church of Ilstorp: Discovering of medieval murals from the 13th century hidden below later over-painting in whitewash, uncovering and retouching of these ones. Conducted by myself, employed by Magnus Wilhborg  Målerikonservering AB.

The medieval church of Hörby: Conservation and retouching of the carved and painted altar piece and pulpit done in 1662 by the famous German master Statius Otto. Independently working restorer in team with the painting restorer Lars Gerdmar, employed by Magnus Wilhborg  Målerikonservering AB.

2006  Established my own business

2006 The medieval church of Kvistofta: Conservation of murals from the 14th and the 16th century, conducted by myself in my own business.

2007 The town hall of Landskrona: Conservation of oil paintings from the 19th century, conducted by myself in my own business.

2008-09 The church of the Holy Trinity, Kristianstad: Conservation and restoration of the organ front (the second largest in Sweden) and the wooden gallery barrier, conducted in my own business in collaboration with painting restorer Martina Petersson.

2008-11  The medieval church of Kävlinge: Conservation of murals from the 14th to the 15th century. The commission was conducted periodically in my own business

2010-11 The new Church of Stora Köpinge: Conservation of ecclesiastical fixtures and of glue-paintings in the ceiling from the 19th century.

 

Ethiopia

2005 Was by the painting restorer Lars Gerdmar informed about his and the building preservationist Petter Jansson’s first preliminary examination of damages of ancient mural painting in 14 Ethiopian churches (see report on the web site Mäzgäbe Seelat: http://ethiopia.deeds.utoronto.ca/pubs.html) and was asked to participate in a planned pilot project of conservation and restoration of ancient Ethiopian ecclesiastical art.

2008-9 Participated with the project manager Lars Gerdmar, Icon painter/restorer, Independent scholar of Byzantine art and Dr. Karl-Gunnar Olsson, Civil engineer and Building expert, Chalmers University of Technology in the conservation technical preparations for mentioned project. Read more: Lars Gerdmar and Karl-Gunnar Olsson 

2009 November 8 – 15 together with above-mentioned colleagues in a preliminary examination and damage inventory of the murals in the medieval church Debre Selam Mika’el, Tigrai, Ethiopia (dated to between the 8th and 10th century).

Read more: Recommendation by Professor Richard Pankhurst and Presentation of the examination (the English speaking visitors may here for time being just take part of the photographic presentation)

Participated during the same visit in The 17th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies 2-4/11 and in The 8th International Conference on the History of Ethiopian Art and Architecture 5-7/11 where we established important contacts within the Ethiopian cultural and academic life for our activity named: Conservation in Ethiopia – a Pilot project.

2010 Participated together with Professor Samuel Rubenson, Lund University, expert on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Dr., Civil engineer Karl-Gunnar Olsson, building expert, Chalmers University of Technology and Lars Gerdmar, Icon painter/Restorer, Independent scholar in Byzantine art in the interim establishment of The Society for the Conservation of the Ethiopian Cultural Heritage (SCECH), formally constituent on April 10 2011. The members of this society represents professions on highest level as well as scientific and cultural institutions with extensive educational potential of great value at the implementation of above-mentioned pilot project as such as well as at the planning of an enlarged project of conservation and education towards which this one is aiming. The main objective of this society are the following: To work for Conservation in Ethiopia – a Pilot project and the development of a long-term program for conservation and education regarding the care and preservation of ancient religious art and architecture in Ethiopia, with starting points in different professions and in co-operation with institutions and colleagues in Ethiopia. Red more: Charter and SCECH: members and collaborators

2009-11 Participated in the report 2009 on the examination of the church Debre Selam Mika’el and the revised and completed version 2011 as well as in the conservation technical preparations before a planned conservation of the murals in the northern aisle of this church. Should have participated in the in October 2011 interrupted conservation in this church.

2011-12   Participated in the planning and the conservation technical preparation for a restart of Conservation in Ethiopia – a Pilot project starting with a preliminary examination of the medieval church Yemrehanne Krestos, outside Lalibela. A preliminary examination with the same team which conducted the examination in Debre Selam Mika’el 2009, amplified by the MA architect Tadesse Girmay, Addis Ababa, and the restorer Bøllingtoft, head of Department at the School of Conservation, Copenhagen, in close collaboration with The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conser-vation, Copenhagen, Denmark is planned to take place in October 2012.

 

Publications

REPORT ON OCULAR AND TECHNICAL EXAMINATION OF BUILDING AND PAINTINGS. THE CHURCH OF DEBRE SELAM MIKA’EL. November 2009, Lund. Co-writer Lars Gerdmar and Karl-Gunnar Olsson.

 

References

The board of The Society for the Conservation of the Ethiopian Cultural Heritage