Artist Phil Price has been busy at his Christchurch workshop leading the restoration of Rakaia’s landmark salmon.

The iconic 12-metre sculpture was moved offsite for the specialist work, which has involved extensive hand sanding, repeated applications of industrial paint and meticulous hand detailing of scales by a team of four artists.

Work is still needed on the steel pole that supports the fish at its home on the State Highway 1 reserve at Rakaia.

Mr Price and his team have been working on the salmon since it arrived mid-December, with a team of 10 involved in sandblasting, scraping back cracked epoxy and adding new layers.

The repeated filling, undercoating and sanding had prepared the surface for a paint job that would last another 30 years, he said.

The salmon will remain silver grey in colour and the artists have used spray guns to add scale details and the pearl metallic colours of a real fish.

“I’m very proud of this sculpture and I’m rapt with the paint work,” Phil said.

The sculptor was 25 and just out of Canterbury University when he was commissioned by the Rakaia Lions Club to create the sculpture in 1990. He used a real salmon to replicate form and colour, and spent five months single-handedly building the frame and body.

He has a box of photos and original engineering plans that document the original work.

The Rakaia salmon was his first piece of large art and there’s an emotional attachment to it; he went on to have a successful career and his work around the world is acknowledged for its beauty and design. His sculptures have been installed everywhere from fierce coastal situations to busy urban environments.

Phil said a special industrial paint used on the Rakaia salmon would ensure it withstood the harsh sun and wind.

He said the salmon had attracted a lot of attention at his workshop and fellow artists had been keen to help work on it. Visitors will find the restored version has a new red gill and a new overall sparkle.

The sculpture will be returned to Rakaia after restoration is complete.