Bridgette K Schnider, MA
Illumined Heart
24k Gold, handmade lamp work glass, machine embossed glass, enamel paint, water-based paint, wood, gilding gesso, and varnish
28.5 x 33 x 12 cm
We Are Not Alone
19K Caplain gold leaf, indigo dyed cotton cloth, cotton and silk thread, rice paper, rice hulls, water-based paint, wood, gilding gesso and varnish
28.5 x 33 x 12 cm
Artist Statement
My graduation work features a set of hand-built hexagonal wooden cabinets — each designed to invite quiet discovery. Inspired by the joy of opening a gift, turning a page or opening the doors in an Advent calendar, the pieces slow the viewer’s engagement down, creating moments of anticipation and revelation. Inside, gilded surfaces respond to light with subtle luminosity, transforming even the shadows. Gold seeks, finds, and returns light in ways no other natural medium can.
In Japan, where I lived briefly, gilding has been extensively cultivated and developed for centuries. I have incorporated Japanese motifs and select gilding traditions in some of my work, for example the hexagon. In Japanese culture, it is both formal and symbolic as the principal shape of the tortoise or turtle shell. It is associated with longevity, protection, and good fortune. To me, it also evokes the hexagonal honeycomb and the bees my parents raised which worked in harmony with each other and Mother Nature’s elements.
This exploratative project challenged both my technical and expressive abilities in gilding — a practice with over 4,000 years of history. The craft is unforgiving; the luminosity of gold leaf magnifies every decision before application: surface preparation, timing, choice of medium and environmental conditions. Each medium that is gilded requires precise protocols, and the final result requires both careful planning and sensitivity.
Each cabinet is thematically centered around a quotation from the Bahá’í Writings, where light signifies many spiritual attributes including knowledge, beauty, love, guidance and the soul.
Through form, material and tradition, this work positions gilding not only as a hard-won traditional skill, but also as a practice of creativity, attention, nobility, loftiness and enduring light.
Crown of Remembrance
24k and 19k Caplain gold leaf, stone, crystal, water-based paint, gilding gesso and wood
28.5 x 33 x 12 cm
Biography
Bridgette Schnider is a gilder whose practice honours the noble elegance of using gold leaf born from the stars in ways that uplift the soul with moving light. Raised in a log cabin built by her parents in Idaho near the Canadian border, she grew up immersed in Nature, making things by hand and absorbed by the pages of National Geographic magazines.
Her early interest in museum displays led to a BA in industrial design and volunteer gardening work at the UNESCO-recognized Bahá’í World Center where she was fortuitously introduced to gilding. Following this, Bridgette lived in China and Japan for four years where she was engaged in education, environmental work, and the performing arts – all of which strengthened her lifelong appreciation of the art and craft heritage of the world.
Returning to the US, she began teaching herself gilding, eventually training under professionals and later working on gilding restoration projects including at the Bahá’í World Center. She also created bespoke gilded murals, illuminations, and jewellery. Bridgette is deeply grateful to everyone who has supported her journey.
Contact
Website https://colorandgold.com/
Instagram @colorandgold
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/colorandgold
Email bridgette@colorandgold.com