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Donell Hill, Director and Founder
Donell Hill has almost twenty years experience as an ecclesiastic restorer with a unique sensitivity to the restoration and conservation of Holy spaces. She became the protégé of Dr. Antonio Loro of St. Marks Fine Art Restoration and Conservation in Houston, TX in 1985. As well as a restorer, she is a fine art painter represented by World Fine Art Galleries in New York City.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Ms Donell has three grown children and three grandchildren. She presently resides in Houston with her husband who is a concert pianist and the Piano Director for The High School of Performing and Visual Arts.

Some of Ms. Donell’s most important ecclestiastic works in Texas include Annunciation Parish of Houston, Saints Peter and Paul of Frelsburg, Saint Theresa’s of Sugarland and most recently Saint Mary’s of Plantersville and Saint Joseph of Stoneham. Her artistic talents have been acknowledge by such important television venues as “Minutes of Fame”, “Catholic Viewpoint”, “Primer Impacto”, “Ocurrio asi” and “Art Beat”. Articles have appeared in magazines and newspapers such as; “USA Today”, “The New York Times”, “The Houston Chronical”, “The Austin Statesman”, “The Catholic Reporter”, “Marquise of San Antonio” and “Texas Monthly”.“The ecclesiastic restoration is and has been rich over the centuries in tradition and a need to preserve the treasure of the churches around the world. The whole church is to be considered the arena of religious art, not only the sanctuary. The artwork in the church is part of the environment and is subject to the criteria of quality and fulfills the purpose to appeal to the senses and create an atmosphere and mood for the religious practice.

All art work in the church, like stained glass, furniture and all other objects used in liturgical celebrations should be conserved by a select people in consultation with the expert ecclesiastic restorer capable of making a visual contribution of the beauty of the church. Donell has worked as an ecclesiastic restorer for many years with me and has became my protégé in both, fine art painting and restoration. She has restored and decorated many holy spaces. She considers the altar the most noble and beautiful part of the church and a symbol of the Lord. For her, it is a holy and sacred liturgical space. Donell has a unique sensitivity to the needs of both the church and the congregation . This ability results in a finished work that cannot be duplicated. Conservation of the church speaks more the quality of environment than the mechanics of the function. Conservation creates a sense of continuation and should be considered a priority for the church. To this end, Donell can be considered a part through which the past moves into the present.”

This project incorporated most of the skills of Artemisia’s artists from complex color analysis to the execution of tedious details resulting in a unique masterpiece. St. Mary’s Church was a three year project from beginning to end. “Dr. Antonio Loro of St. Mark’s Preservations and Fine Arts Studio of Houston, Tx introduced me to Ms. Hill. Dr. Loro is recognized as one of the most eminent restorers in the United States and has been Ms. Hill’s maestro in developing her skills and techniques as a preservationist/restorer in her own right. Her close association with Dr. Loro is a further enhancement of her dedication and ability in the demanding field of restoration and preservation. For the past three years I have collaborated with and employed Ms. Hill in the restoration of our 1917 painted German Church of the Nativity of Mary in Planterville, Texas. She began the lengthy process by first expertly and with old world artistry repairing and repainting all statues original of the 1917 church. They are a remarkable statement of the artistic expertise of Ms. Hill.”

“Ms. Donell HIl has a collaborative and cooperative spirit. Her artistic advise was essencial to the succesful completion of our project. Ms. Hill and her co-workers dedicated countless hours of labor to the loving implementation of our vision for the chapel.

Previous to this project, Ms. Hill restored an old wooden altar for use in another chapel of the parish. In that case, she suggested the color scheme and executed all painting, patina work, faux marble finishes, and gold leaf. The result of both projects exceeded my expectations (which, I must admit, were quite high). Ms. Hill’s work for us has been absolutely exquisite.”

“The altar in our parish are not only a part of our treasure past,. They are part of our hope for our future. Their preservation is extremely important to the young and old of our parish alike because they continue to enhance our worship significantly. We have been delighted with Donell’s sensitive and creative approach to the restoration and gladly recommend her artistic gifts for any ecclesiastical restoration project.”