Meet the 2021-2022 Artwalk Season Poster artist: Bridgette Schnider
Bridgette K Schnider (BKS), 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.) BKS 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, BKS 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.
BKS’ works are on permanent display at the Museum of the Gilding Arts in Pontiac, Illinois, and in multiple galleries and private collections worldwide. BKS 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.
BKS 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.
BKS’ piece entitled 3rd Thursday features watercolor paint pans gifted to her by Chicago-based arts illuminator and instructor Jed Gibbons.
The mission of the Moscow Arts Commission is to enrich the community by celebrating and cultivating the expression of all art forms and culture.
Click the image below to view more information on the City of Moscow website.
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