GORDON ANDREWS’ THE FOUNTAIN

OVERVIEW

The Fountain is a fabricated steel sculpture by Australian industrial designer and cartoonist Gordon Andrews. It was purchased by the Cowra Shire Council for the new Cowra Municipal Building, which opened in December 1969. O’Sullivan Conservation performed a detailed condition assessment in December of 2018 prior to commencing treatment in 2019.

The sculpture was deinstalled and transported to the OSC workshop, where exterior paint matching was conducted, and the copper alloy fountain lip was removed. The sculpture was then abrasive blasted and areas of structural thinning, corrosion perforations, and welding defects were identified. These areas were repaired, and the copper alloy lip rivets were removed prior to a second round of light abrasive blasting. An epoxy mastic undercoat and acrylic polyurethane topcoat were applied to the sculpture and new copper alloy rivets fabricated. The reverse of the copper alloy lip was coated with etch primer to prevent further bimetallic corrosion from surface contact before the lip was reattached. The exposed surface of the copper alloy lip was polished before the restored sculpture was transported back to Cowra.

O’Sullivan Conservation touched up the lifting hook and securing bolts with topcoat following re-installation and provided the Cowra Shire Council with detailed recommendations for cleaning and routine maintenance, as well as a schedule for future condition assessments. Original paint samples and details for all new coatings were retained for future reference.