ABOUT

Welcome to Tilia Gilding, the studio of Rachael Linton, a New Zealand-born artist who trained in England and is now based back in her homeland New Zealand. Specialising in the art of gilding, Rachael applies pure gold leaf to frames, furniture, fine art, and architectural elements. With traditional water-gilding and oil-gilding techniques, her notable projects include the Queen's robing room at Westminster Palace and the Cutty Sark. Rachael's journey into gilding began in 2013, following her research in electromagnetic frequencies and their therapeutic effects during her Master’s degree in Digital Media Artistry & Design. This unique blend of art and science continues to influence her work, creating stunning, meaningful artworks as well as custom traditionally gilded elements. Rachael offers bespoke gilding services on a commission basis, bringing a touch of historical craftsmanship to modern projects. Contact Tilia Gilding to discuss your custom gilding needs and schedule a visit.

Rachael became a gilder in 2013. During her Master’s degree in Digital Media Artistry & Design (2008), she researched the ways in which electromagnetic frequencies interact with the human body to produce therapeutic outcomes. Since gold, silver, and copper conduct energy and have many therapeutic uses within the body, she began applying gold and other precious metals to her artworks and voilà, she was hired by the renowned English furniture maker ' Restall Brown and Clennell' as a gilder.
A visionary at heart, Rachael contributes to the art world with lustre, uniting history with the present and art with science. She is fascinated by watching what happens when we allow time and space for nature to do its magic, allowing metallic patinas and decay to change bright and lustrous objects. Rachael is well known for her work with cymatics which is the study of visible sound vibration. She creates engaging paintings and art installations that invite viewers to contemplate the mystical relationship between humans, energy and the physical world. Her work often incorporates elements such as pure gold, light, and sound vibrations to explore this connection.
  

ABOUT OUR NAME:
Rachael Linton established 'Tilia Gilding' for her gilding services in 2014. 'Tilia' is Latin for Linden Tree, Lime tree. The linden flower is at the top of our logo. The Tilia wood has always been a popular wood for carving and was the original wood used to make panels for gilded icon paintings in the 17th-19th centuries. Tilia wood is lovely to carve and was also used to make the ornate water-gilded frames that you might see in museums and galleries. 
EXHIBITION HISTORY:

Select Exhibition History
2020 -Medicine Festival Art Installation
2018 - Heritage Craft association - 45min film & trailor made of me teaching oil gilding on the back of the
Cutty Sark as part of the Endangerd crafts ‘Red List’ movement.
2018 - Wells Cathedral & St Albans Cathedral were two of the seven destination of our
Medieval Mosaic Exhibition Tour from 2016-2019
2018 - Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths - Teaching Gilding.
2018 - Totnes and Dartington Open studios
2018 - Oxford open Doors
2017 - Kinetic art sculpture of my interactive ‘Golden cymatics gong bath’ at several outdoor festivals.
Lecture on the Therapeutic properties of my VR Digital therapy at the Psychadellic Society.
2016 - 950th Aniversary of the Battle of Hastings in Hastings - A Medieval Mosaic, Guinness World Record
A recreation of the Bayeux Tapestry. Collaboration by father and daughter team, made of 3million
tiny pieces of steel - 33 year artistic odyssey
2015 - Mind Body Spirit Festival, Olympia, London - Crystal Cymatics, Digital media fine art, live video
immersive installation in collaboration with sound healer Tiffany Keywood and the Soul Dome 360°
immersive Cinema.
2014 - Kinetica, Old Truman Brewery, London - Aura Illuminator, Interactive Digital art installation in
which the viewers experienced their aura in a hand painted mica black mirror.
2014 - Brighton Digital Festival, Phoenix Gallery, Brighton - Cymatics Response, Digital art installation
group exhibition with The New Sublime.
2014 - Kymatic Konference, Black forest, Germany - A multinational conference where I was interviewed
about my art and research for a cymatics documentary by world expert in the field, Jeff Volk.
2014 - Mind Body Spirit Festival, Olympia, London - Painting exhibition
2014 - Brighton Digital Festival, Zu Studios - Sounds Holographic, Multimedia performance art under my
Direction. With gong bath and live cymatics translation. Presented inside the Soul Dome 360°
immersive Cinema.
2013 - Brighton Fringe Festival, Brighton Jubilee Square, Eon Solace - Collaboration with Sound healer
Rowan Sterk and the Soul Dome 360° immersive Cinema.
2013 - The Omnia Scroll Exhibition,Venice - Gold and Silver fine art prints, now in private collection.
2012 - TSB Bank Wallace Arts Trust, Pah Homestead, New Zealand - Solo exhibition of gilded paintings in
pure gold, silver & copper. 5 artworks in the private collection of Sir James Wallace.
2008 - Masters exhibition of Digital Art and Thesis ‘Sound Vision’.
Pre 2012 many more  solo multimedia exhibitions and handful of collaborative art exhibitions.

PUBLICATIONS:

Rachael appeared in the March edition of Home & Antiques magazine, UK, 2019. As part of the Heritage craft association Red list of endangered crafts. Gilding the Cutty Sark featured in the magazine and in a feature length video documentary teaching people how to gild.
AFFILIATIONS & NOTABLE CLIENTS:
Gold Leaf Supplies

Heritage Crafts Association
Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths

Society of Gilders USA
Restall Brown and Clennell

Campbell Smith & Co

Rhode Fine Art

Hotel Endsleigh
DBR Conservation
Overmantels London
Nick McCaan - Artist
Duke of Wellington
Dominic Schuster
Watergilders of Devon
Jonathan Sainsbury
Guinevere Antiques
Claude Gallery
Linley