Senators and friends who had stopped by the Senate chamber after Gov. Chris Sununu’s inauguration on Thursday had just left. For a few moments, Martha Cox was alone to make the final touch-ups to the Abbott Thayer mural behind the rostrum.
Cox, of Great Works Painting Restoration in Maine, is finishing her work on the murals in the newly renovated Senate chamber in the State House, which has new carpeting, LED lighting and fresh paint. Thanks to Cox, the paintings have been transformed, too.
“I am a conservator of paintings. Conservation is about preservation of damages – structural, i.e. tears, delaminating paint, etc. Restoration is about putting back to original condition as much as is possible. So cleaning is definitely considered part of the restoration. The lifting of all that dirt brings the original colors back to life, re-establishes definition, depth and dimension to the overall work, the intent being to preserve and revitalize the artist’s original intent,” said Cox.
The restoration of the paintings was one of the last pieces of the renovation.
“I came in mid-November, after the major renovation of the room was finished. This entire project of renovating the Senate chambers is about the bicentennial of the State House this year,” she said.
Cox was honored with a resolution on Wednesday for her contributions to the renovation project.