Hello Everyone!

[Gene Snyder]

Just wanted to say hello to everyone in the forum. From the many posts that I've read, this looks to be a very supportive and informed group to be in. I look forward to being a part of your artistic community.

A little bit about myself. I'm from Baltimore Maryland and I've been creating art for quite a long time now, however it has not been on a professional level (making a living at it). I mainly did work for friends and relatives with a few sold pieces in between. Now I am in the process of "taking the leap" and making that transition to getting gallery representation and attracting commissions.

I served in the U.S. Army for 12 years as a graphic artist where I had the unique opportunity to be a full-time historical artist for the U.S. Army's Art collection. While there, I documented Army operations such as Hurricane Andrew, Somalia, Panama, Rwanda, and Bosnia. I also served as a graphics instructor teaching drawing, painting, and computer graphics to new recruits entering the military, which was a great experience, by the way. Now, after leaving the military and settling back home, I can finally focus entirely on my art and begin building a career.

I love reading about art history and the many artists that have created throughout. I especially like finding those hard to find books that are first-hand accounts or letters written by the artists themselves. My list of favorite artists is long, so I'll save those for another post.

I work in just about any media (oil, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, color pencil, or graphite), but always find myself coming back to oils. I also seem to bounce around in subject matter as well. Although I love creating portraits, I also like painting still lifes, and jump at the chance to get outside to paint landscapes (shhhh don't tell anybody, this is a portrait forum, right?). You could say I'm a "figurative" artist, I guess?

Well, that's about it. I'm sure you'll get to know more about me as I particpate in the group. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,
Gene

If you get a chance, feel free to visit my website at: www.snyderart.com

Comments are welcome.

[Cynthia Daniel]

Gene,

Welcome to the forum! I love the drama of your portrait. Is that you?

[Gene Snyder]

Hi Cynthia,

Thank you for your response. Yes, that's me - a recent painting in oils. I was going for a direct approach and painted it in about 45 minutes to an hour.

I've noticed that in the past I had a real hang-up with the expense of my materials creeping into how I worked, especially in oils. I'd paint very skimpily (if that is a word), all the time saying to myself, "Be careful, don't want to waste those precious paints!" So now, I try to cure myself of that by painting every once in a while as if I were sketching in a sketchbook. It helps to loosen me up and get over the "cost of the materials" syndrome. I've finally learned that the work is much more valuable than the sum of the materials.

Also, this is just one of the many ways I like to paint. Next week, especially after reading Alexei Antonov's posts and visiting his website, I may bounce back to a more controlled glazing technique over an underpainting. Who knows? It all depends on what strikes me at the moment and what I'm reading about and researching. I'm an explorer I guess.

Take care,
Gene

[Sandy Barnes]

Gene,

I find it fascinating that you have had the opportunity to record the history of our country's struggles in art. To know that those works will be preserved and viewed through the passage of time is inspiring.

I can certainly relate to your wasting-paint-syndrome. There is a thread about the creative ways of saving paint between sessions. My big "waste" is paper palettes. I have a beautiful new pear wood palette that is still wrapped!

BTW, I love your city.

[Gene Snyder]

Sandy,

Your comment about the wooden palette is so true! I just bought a French easel that came with a palette and do you know I went out to paint 6 times with paper palettes before I finally broke down and used the wooden one!

Painting full time for the military was an incredible experience. To travel to a location at a moment's notice (sketchbook in hand) and observe/record, in art, images that portray the sacrifices that our armed forces make every day, was inspiring. Plus, I was a part of it, so I knew what they were going through. At times I was intimidated and felt like I needed to fill "big shoes" knowing that the work that I was creating was part of a long line of artists that had contributed to the Army's visual story dating back to the Civil War.

The assignment definitely had its perks, being near the National Gallery and other galleries in Washington. Plus, having a collection next to my studio of 13,000+ military artworks that included some works by artists such as Norman Rockwell or Peter Hurd to look at, really helped to get the creative fires brewing.

If you get a chance, I have some of the work I created during my time as an Army artist on my old website at:http://www.geocities.com/myartworkz/.../military.html
All comments are welcome.

I've had Baltimore's Inner Harbor on my list of "things to paint" forever.

Take care,
Gene

[Mike McCarty]

Gene, I love the Haitians portrait, you should post it here.

I am assuming that you used a camera to capture these scenes?

Where you given assignments, suggestions as to content, or just given a free hand?

[Cynthia Daniel]

Back when I worked in mainframe computers, I worked at the old McCormack Spice building right across from the Inner Harbor for about a year. I understand McCormack has since moved. Is the old building still there?

[Gene Snyder]

Mike,

Thanks. The Haitian portrait is one that gets alot of comments from visitors to the collection. There was a thread posted I was reading a few days ago asking about pastel techniques. I'll post it there with comments about how I created it.

Yes, most of the works were composed of a combination of photos taken and sketches drawn on site. I also carried a watercolor kit with me to take color notes that I felt the camera just couldn't capture.

As far as assignments, it was whatever was hot at the time. Whether it was Rwanda, Haiti, or Bosnia. Kind of like a war art correspondent, I guess. "Hey Snyder, grab your stuff, you're going to Panama next week to capture as much as you can of the Cuban refugee camps there. Bring everything back and create about 40 - 50 works on it or whatever you deem necessary." That sort of thing. As far as the work itself, no one ever dictated what images I should paint or was I ever censored.

There were a few voluntary assignments as well. Looking through the collection, I saw that there very few training images - most were mission related. So I volunteered to go to Air Assualt School, learn to jump out of helicopters on a rope, and then I stuck around for a few more weeks to observe the next class coming through and document their experience. Going through and experiencing the course first hand added that "extra punch" to the work. I feel it is the strongest work I produced as an Army artist.

Thanks for your reply and I look forward to talking again.

Gene

[Gene Snyder]

Cynthia,

Not sure what they are going to do with that building. I've heard everything from it being turned into nightclub/restaurant to it being torn down to make room for condos. I say renovate it and turn it into a Baltimore Art Student's League!!!!!!

Gene

[Gene Snyder]

Mike,

Sorry for not posting the Haitians portrait earlier. Actually, it's posted in another thread about blending pastels. I'll post it again here for those of you who are wondering what portrait Mike is talking about.

Cheers!