Gary Bevans first planned to paint the ceiling on panels at home in his workshop and then once each panel was completed to take them to the church and fix them to the roof.  This proved impossible as screw holes inevitably destroyed the paint and gaps were unpreventable between the panels as the first completed panels were attached.
 He decided to continue the work by painting directly onto the ceiling which was to be reskinned with plywood panels as he made his way across the vault.  Gary worked first on a small tower which could be moved about on wheels. 

The Tower came to be too small to contain Gary's growing workshop of materials so he purchased scaffolding that would have to be built to cover one large area at a time. 

The Process of
The Sistine Chapel Reproduction United Kingdom

Gary used 7000 screws to fix hundreds of 8ft x 4ft plywood panels to the roof.  Once each panel was attached he undercoated and primed the area and then set about planning and painting each figure or scene.  500 figures were gradually to be sketched out on to the prepared panels and then carefully painted in detail using acrylic. 

Originally, the plan was for the Ceiling to be a two year project.  This proved impossible given the scale of the artwork and detail involved.  The whole process took 5 years to complete which Gary amazingly managed to do alongside his full-time signwriting job.

Alongside painting the original artwork, three vents that were situated along the ceiling had to be filled in.  There were also six sets of hanging lights which Gary decided he had to remove rather than leave in the midst of the painting.  Additionally, 24 Popes were painted with windows and architectural details to attain the correct perspective.

The completed ceiling was finally unveiled in a special Mass of thanksgiving in 1993 in which the artist was surprised to recieve a special medal from the late Pope John Paul II for his art contribution to the Catholic Church.  Since completing the ceiling, Gary has worked upon the walls and several other paintings within the church.  The Sistine Chapel Reproduction continues to give interest and pleasure to visitors throughout the year.
To visit the Sistine Chapel Ceiling Reproduction, see our page about the Church of the English Martyrs.  Opening times vary depending upon the season.
For a more detailed insight into the work visit the DVD page.