Cinnabar Lacquer

I have to make a sample of "antique faded cinnabar lacquer". This is an incredible pigment from

http://www.kremer-pigmente.com what a colour! It looks so delicious. Earth pigments are so rich. I love working with them. Mixing them into shellac is a very traditional way to create a paint, but sometimes it's the only way to get the depth needed for an antique finish.

Gilded Church Panel

This panel just goes on and on, it's huge! I looked at the dimensions onsite and didn't think it was very big at all, but in the studio it dwarfs everything. Luckily I'm working at A. J. Bretts www.ajbrett.co.uk although even Bretts aren't sure it will make it out of the building if it's put back together before it's transported. Gulp.

Gold Shoes by Pluchino

The 1920s, shoes, gold. Three of my favourite things. I'm completely in love with these.

http://www.mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/the-champagne-years/

Gilding Cracks

This is an image of the artist Elizabeth Porter's work http://www.elizabethporter.co.uk/ Like me, Elizabeth first trained at Titian Studios as a decorative artist and gilder. Now she is a wonderful fine artist, and I love that she's using gilding in her installations and drawing on the Japanese restoration technique called Kintsugi. When Japanese restorers use Kintsugi, they make a feature of cracks by covering them in gold leaf (see the photograph of the black bowl below) Collectors especially prize objects that have been restored this way. The flaws make the piece more beautiful and valuable. I am so inspired by Elizabeth referencing that tradition.

Sea Monster Gilding

Dolphins? Fish? Dragons? No one is very sure, but they'll look quite lovely once they've been water gilded.

Restoration Students

Here are my lovely day students who are doing apprenticeships at restoration companies in London. Poor things they were stuck with me all day doing the worst kind of gilding - the prep. It's essential that apprentice gilders learn how to do it well, but usually they get very bored. Amazingly both of them said they loved it, either they are both incredibly polite or one day they will be much better gilders than I could ever hope to be.

If you are a student of restoration at a college or if you are doing an apprenticeship and want to do a day with me, feel free to get in touch. I know how hard it was myself to get into the business so I'm willing to offer gilding students a bit of experience now and again. I'm busy and the work is what it is - hard and mostly you'll be doing the basics, but if that doesn't put you off, do contact me.

Pretty Chinoiserie

I'm not sure I want to give this back to the client. It looks perfect in the studio!

Gilding Stuff

Hmmm, time for a gilding spring clean.

Gilded Easter Eggs

Last easter I gilded this beautiful ostrich egg for a client, and I just recieved another one to do this year. I'm thinking red and gold this time.

Gilding Demo

A quick demo of how to use your gilding kit.

RIBA Beautiful RIBA

Soon very soon I'll be working here. I'll be restoring the malachite-like walls that have been scratched and damaged over the years. I can't wait! It's a lovely job in itself, but who wouldn't love going to 66 Portland Place each day to work, what a treat.

Gilding Course Venue

Am so pleased to be offering courses at Hornsby. My studio is great for individuals, and if you'd like an individual class contact me at londongilding@gmail.com But really, Primrose Hill is too small for groups (and ceiling high in furniture right now!) I do love teaching a few people together, it's so much fun. Hornsby's is a very pretty shop and it's just the right size for an intimate group. I can't wait to work out the dates and let you all know.

Emergency Gilding

This poor table arrived in a crate from Italy with three broken legs. I got it last night and had to perform emergency gilding surgery on it today as it's one of eight ordered for an hotel that opens this week. It's been a busy day! But it looks pretty again. This is dutch gold finished in acrylic varnish with a hand mixed colour to speed the process up, and the minute it was dry it was whisked off. Restoration is usually a measured thoughtful careful process, not today! It was instant and spontaneous and I used every short cut I've ever learnt to get this done. Gilding A&E.

Gilding Courses

I have a fabulous venue for courses! I'll post details as soon as it's all arranged. I'm going to try and get a class booked in for April, but if that's not possible it will definitely be mid May.

I'll be teaching at J Hornsby on the Old Brompton Road http://www.jhornsbyinteriors.co.uk/

J Hornsby is a wonderful interior design and antique restoration company, it's a very lovely space to learn gilding in. It's a short walk to Gloucester Road tube, it's close to Christies and the museums and there are lovely cafes around for students to relax in after a hard days gilding. Details soon!

Swedish Giltwood Clock

This beauty just left me to go to the clockmakers. It came in looking very sad and dirty, now it's returned to its original finish. It's Swedish and I really like the way the Swedes mixed gold leaf with other materials. The carved griffins are painted to look like metal and they're really well done. I've had a few people in the studio who haven't believed me when I've told them it's a paint effect. It looks so real as the gilder used a metal powder in the paint. I love looking at that kind of work, it's so instructive to see how gilders achieved the look of metal in the past. The curling tails are completely new as they had been broken off at some point. A. J. Brett carved them http://www.ajbrett.co.uk/ and they did a fantastic job.

Why Gilders Can Go A Bit Mad

Silver Leaf Mantelpiece

This is a beatiful period mantelpiece that a client wanted me to silver and patinate. The original stone was so damaged it couldn't be professionally cleaned, so rather than lose it altogether, the client asked me to gild it. This is a quick onsite picture I took. I wish I had one of the finished room, it is exquisite!

Living Gold

This is gold leaf in its natural state. It floats in the slightest breeze.

Very Unusual Gilding

I think this is the most unusual gilding project I've ever been asked to do. This is a long slender purpose built alcove in a staircase that has a light shining down through it. Today I gilded it with a client and she asked me to leave the gold leaf in its natural state. When leaf is applied to a surface like this, some pieces of the gold don't always attach. Usually when the gold adhesive dries, I'll take a soft brush and remove all the tiny pieces of gold that haven't attached. But my client didn't want that. She loved the gold floating and looking ragged. It took me a while to get my head around that, but when I saw the light shining down through the leaf I realised what an amazing thing she'd designed. It's beautiful! The light catches all the tiny moving fragments of gold and it really looks wonderful. Am so impressed. I've been gilding for years and no one has ever asked me to leave a surface rough before, it is a new concept for me and I really love the look.

The Lovely Clare Lewis

I've had the good fortune to have been working with Clare Lewis this week. There aren't very many of us gilders, so it's a rare pleasure to get to spend time with another one, especially one as lovely as Clare. I get a lot more work done when I smile all day! As well as being a fantastic gilder and great company, she's also a very talented artist www.clare-lewis.co.uk