talking techniques… TALKING TECHNIQUES with
Trained in illustration and theatre set design, Bristol artist Ruth Winding brings an unusual perspective to her art that has allowed her to create wonderful, large-scale gilded paintings. She tells Martha Alexander how she developed her golden touch. Photos: Gareth Iwan Jones
T
he beauty of gilding is that it gives you a surface that is alive before you even apply any paint to it,” says Ruth Winding, whose paintings are a
gorgeous mixture of macro and micro: bold gold squares covering metres of MDF with delicate, detailed brushwork on top. Before the artist learnt how to gild, she had tended
to work more intricately on a miniature scale as part of her illustration degree at the University of the West of England’s Bower Ashton campus. Ruth then became interested in murals and trained in theatre design at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, a period in which her work scaled up dramatically. “I fell in love with gilding straight away,” says Ruth,
admitting that she lost interest in other aspects of the course when she saw its potential. “We had a project where we had to paint onto it and I thought, ‘this is beautiful’ and I started to specialise in that on my own, painting flowers and birds.” The course, with its classes in creating trompe l’oeil,
props and visual effects all contributed to her work as it is now, but it’s Chinoiserie that provides much of her inspiration. A French term referring to Chinese, Japanese and other Asian influences, the Chinoiserie style is elegant, intricate and glamorous. “I especially love old wallpapers that date back to the 18th century. It’s the artistic style that reflects Oriental influences and so it’s a fusion between eastern and western aesthetic styles.” Gilding is a difficult process
and the success of a painting for Ruth is as much about surface preparation as any other element. “It is so important that surfaces are really smooth,” she says. “Even a fibre from a jumper will bring an unwanted ‘statement’. I tend to work on MDF as it doesn’t require too much sanding.” After priming and sanding the
board, Ruth applies a layer of watercolour underpainting known as a ‘bole’, which will show through if there are any imperfections in the gold leaf.
Artists & Illustrators 51
“Traditionally it was supposed to be ochre,” she notes. “It was used so that there was no glare or any white showing through, but I like to have a contrasting colour like turquoise or emerald green. There is something very rich about the juxtaposition with the gold. I think it adds something.” The bole is then glazed with a shellac varnish from
either Roberson & Co. or Liberon. Once this has dried, a layer of gold size (a special gilding adhesive) is brushed on in a fine layer. This must become tacky before Ruth continues. “The next stage is the most precarious and requires a very steady hand,” she says. Ruth doesn’t actually use gold leaf, instead opting
for an imitation, Dutch Gold, which is cheaper. “There is no point [using real gold leaf] when you are working a flat surface,” she explains. “Using the real thing is only essential for 3D objects that can be burnished.” The Dutch Gold comes in beautiful little books with
peach tissue leaves. “They are like petals,” she says “They are so pretty in themselves.” Ruth wouldn’t consider using a liquid gold, mainly because her clients often like to see the overlapping squares of gold. Instead, she carefully slips a postcard underneath a sheet of Dutch Gold in order to transfer it on to the adhesive. “The Dutch Gold is so fine it’s comparable to something 10 times finer than a
Ruth Winding
BELOW Pear Tree, acrylic and gilding on MDF, 91x64cm OPPOSITE PAGE Ruth sits in > her Bristol home studio
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84