The City of Moscow and the Moscow Arts Commission announced Bridgette Schnider as the 2021-2022 Artwalk Season poster artist, Mon., Sept. 27.
Schnider’s piece entitled 3rd Thursday features watercolor paint pans gifted to her by Chicago-based arts illuminator and instructor Jed Gibbons. The composition suggests a calendar, with the 3rd Thursday of the month presented as a special highlight.
Schnider, of Color & Gold LLC based in Latah County, creates jewel-like designs and gilded works inspired by the beauty of global cultures, mathematics and nature. Most works include 24k gold and/or 24k palladium* gilding in leaf form purchased from a family-run company of 4th generation gold beaters in Wisconsin - the only company still creating leaf by hand in the United States. (*Palladium is a non-tarnishing precious metal typically more expensive than gold that looks similar to silver.) Schnider also grinds the leaf by hand in a very time-consuming process to make "shell gold," which is a fine powder of metal that can be applied with a brush and burnished.
For coloring illuminations on fine papers, Schnider uses pencils and water-based paints both purchased or from hand-ground pigments, sometimes from semi-precious stones such as malachite and lapis and washes from natural plants. Some illuminations are replicated with archival inks on acid-free German Etching paper by Hahnemühl–a select paper prized by European nobility for centuries and then hand-gilded with 24k gold and/or palladium, signed and numbered. For coloring more durable surfaces, acrylics are used with woman-owned Swiss company, Lascaux, being a favorite on detailed projects.
Schnider’s works are on permanent display at the Museum of the Gilding Arts in Pontiac, Ill., and in multiple galleries and private collections worldwide. Schnider does interior painting, gilding and illumination commissions for individual collectors, corporate clients, houses of worship and historic places and has worked abroad in Beijing and at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Israel.
Schnider is an active member of the Society of Gilders, received a BA in industrial design from the Art Institute of Portland in conjunction with the University of Idaho and has completed numerous courses from the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London.
Schnider’s work will be on display at the Third Street Gallery Dec. 16 as part of the continuing 3rd Thursday Artwalk season. For more information visit https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/189/Artwalk.
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Moscow Artwalk is one of many events that foster the region's cultural ecosystem. Since its beginning in 2004, the event has become a highlight of the Palouse by celebrating the wealth of artistic practice in the region. Moscow Artwalk expanded in 2021 to include arts offerings at business and non-profit locations throughout the community on the 3rd Thursday of each month from October - May. The season finale on the 3rd Thursday of June features artist and host location offerings along with music, food, and performance art on Main Street.
Poster Artwork: 3rd Thursday, Bridgette Schnider, 2021.
Story Contact: Megan Cherry, Arts Program Manager
Phone Number: 208-883-7036
Email: mcherry@ci.moscow.id.us