This PJ craftsman finds meaning in repairing damaged statues and quietly making a difference, one piece at a time.
For more than four decades, the Petaling Jaya-based craftsman has patiently repaired limbs, restored faces, and pieced together shattered forms.
No, he is not a doctor – at least, not of the human kind. But where surgeons work with flesh and bone, Matthew tends to wood, porcelain and marble, rescuing statues and figurines from damage, decay, and the ravages of time.
Known affectionately as a “statue doctor”, Matthew has been honing his craft for over 40 years. By his own estimate, he has restored more than 1,000 statues, working with clients not just in Malaysia but as far afield as Singapore, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom.
“Ever since I was young, I’ve enjoyed doing things with my hands,” Matthew told FMT Lifestyle. “I discovered I loved woodwork. I started by carving keychains while I was in school.”
His unexpected calling began when a woman from his church approached him one day, asking if he could help restore a damaged statue.
“I’d never done anything like that before, but I decided to try. Word soon spread, and before I knew it, I was getting all kinds of requests – from four-foot (1.2m) statues to full, life-size ones.”
There was a time when Matthew pursued restoration full time, running a business called Majestic Crafts and Design. Over the years, however, his interests expanded, leading him to corporate training at a local automotive company.
Today, at 62, he focuses on public speaking and personal development, with plans to venture into podcasting in the near future. Statue restoration has become a side pursuit – but one to which he remains deeply committed, setting aside roughly two weeks each month for the work.
His home studio is a treasure trove of art and design: shelves stocked with durable clay in countless colours, miniature Citadel paints, airbrush pigments, coloured pencils, power drills, and engraving tools that look suspiciously like dental instruments.
Much of his work revolves around religious statues. While churches do engage him, the majority of his commissions come from ordinary individuals hoping to restore cherished personal or family pieces, often heirlooms passed down through generations.
Seeing the relief and joy on their faces when a once-broken statue is returned to them, renewed and whole, is what Matthew finds most rewarding.
“I don’t say no to any statues,” he said. “I’m just extra careful with porcelain or marble ones, because they require an extra level of care.”
No two repairs are ever the same, and many are deeply challenging. Matthew laughs as he recalls working on a badly shattered statue that had to be reassembled like a jigsaw puzzle.
In another case, a heavily eroded figure required him to use his own arm as a model to recreate a missing limb.
Colour-matching, he said, is one of the trickiest parts of the job. Getting the shade just right – without it looking garish – takes time and experience.
Certain figures, such as Catholic saints, wear specific colours with symbolic meaning, and Matthew believes it is crucial that restorations remain faithful to the original intent of the sculptor.
Then there are the faces. “I once worked on a one-foot (0.3m) statue, but something about the face just wasn’t right,” he recalled. “I ended up spending eight hours on it.
“You can get everything else right, but if the face doesn’t work, the whole piece doesn’t work. The expression has to match the persona of the person being depicted.”
In an age increasingly dominated by shortcuts and technologies such as 3D printing, the art of statue restoration is far less commonly practised than it once was. For Matthew, however, such methods drain the craft of its joy and soul.
“There’s no true substitute for human effort,” he said. “It’s the patience, the mistakes, the problem-solving – that’s where the meaning is.”
Now, the festive season encourages him to reflect on why he continues doing this work.
“My Christmas wish is to look for opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others,” he said. “It often begins with a nod, a smile or even a simple hello.”
For those considering venturing into the quiet, demanding world of restoration, Matthew’s advice is simple, and fitting for the season.
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If you make an error, you can always fix it. You can never be perfect anyway. Just be consistent, stay curious, and never give up.” - FMT
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