Meet The Team

Richard Hawkes
Artworks Conservation was established in 2004 by Richard Hawkes MA (Conservation of Fine Art), ACR. Richard is a conservator of watercolours, prints and drawings with over 20 years of experience working for museums, institutions, art dealers and private individuals throughout the UK. He is an Accredited Conservator-Restorer (Institute of Conservation or Icon). The studio is listed on the Icon Conservation Register.

Mhairi Boyle
My fascination in East and South Asian art and culture began when for an MA in History of Art and Theology & Religious Studies. Wanting to take a practical approach to working with art, I enrolled on an MA in Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne (2016-2018) and fell in love with the Japanese traditions entrenched in the tools and techniques of paper conservation. Since then, I have been building my specialism in East and South Asian works on paper, having taken several specialist courses and trips to Japan to practice my Japanese.

Felicity Conway
It is the plentiful variety of objects encompassed by the specialism within conservation of works of art on paper which attracted me to the career, that continues to ignite my interest and always offers a new challenge to tackle. I received an MA, Conservation of Works of Art on Paper, from Northumbria University in 2022.
Firstly, can I just say what an absolutely superb job you have done with my railway signal diagram, it is nothing less than brilliant and worth every penny of the restoration costs in my opinion.
My colleagues and I are very impressed with the replica Charter. The document itself is an excellent reproduction, and the seal is very eye-catching. The mount and frame are also very
carefully made (I love how the document appears to float). We really appreciate all the hard work that has gone into it.
Many thanks, Richard. The watercolour has come out very well and as usual you have done an excellent job.
The artworks look great and I am really pleased with the end result. The lithograph looks brilliant. How did you manage to get the water damage out?
I am exceedingly pleased with the work you did.
All three pictures arrived safely; thank you for packing them so well. We are bowled over with the restorations you have achieved for us.
Magic
The best cup of tea I’ve ever had in my life
I must express my delight in the job you have done on my map. It is back in position looking magnificent, and I look at it without that dread of what damp and gravity might have been doing to it over the years.
You did an excellent job of reproducing a framed copy of our Royal Charter complete with a wax seal even though our wax seal was very damaged. It now hangs in our corporate box where it
looks very impressive to guests of the Hall.
A huge thanks from me – I’m really pleased with the results, and it was brilliant to be able to share the work with visitors. I know the team enjoyed working with you both, too.
Quite frankly I am amazed at what you have achieved, given the derelict state of the poster when you took it in, and I consider the restoration work to be of the highest order.