Carlsbadcrawl Carlsbad art and culture

Carlsbadcrawl.com will be on a hiatus…

See you in a handful of weeks!

#7: Taking it to the Streets

The walls of my studio were always scattered with paintings, but I never considered it a gallery. It was always a working studio where the art was the creative process, not the finished product. I considered the paintings more of trophies which represented a successful completion of a set of steps.

On sunny days I would take my process, my art, along with a display of paintings, to the street where I encouraged the public to explore my technique. Pedestrians would frequent my display during village walks and passing cars would tap the breaks followed by a hoot and honk. Locals would keep updated on my progress and village visitors would watch stunned, confused and entertained.

These are the days I remember most vividly. The hot sun pelting the back of my neck as sweat dripped from my nose and paint dripped from my brush. The dust of a truck would tumble into my ankles and the ocean offshores would test the weight of a drying stencil. The conditions were never ideal, but these were the conditions I battled often to showcase my art, my technique and my labors of love.

Thank you all for the conversations that took place outside my studio, the honks as you drove by and the many smiles from afar.

- Bryan Snyder

#6: The Proposal at Snyder Art

Since the very first painting in my signature drip technique, I have been using the same equipment. A table created out of 2 saw horses and a square piece of plywood has grown thick with many layers of excess paint. The brush hair of a collection of paint brushes which have never touched the surface of a painting have been repeatedly dunked into gallon buckets of paint and dripped over hundreds of canvases.

Long before I opened Snyder Art and Design on State Street, I began painting in this signature drip technique in my garage. The development of this painting process was slow, but set backs were easily overcome by helpful tips from friends and family.  One which came from my brother-in-law who mentioned the benefits of stacks of pennies around stencil edges resulting in cleaner lines and decreased overspray set me in the right direction.

My table and my brushes have played an important role in each and every piece of art I have created in the past 4 years, but my most cherished treasure is a collection of overly dripped upon stacks of pennies. Over the years, the pennies have grown into colorful treasures.

When I am asked which is my favorite painting, I point to my stack of pennies; there is a piece of painting in each one of them.

- Bryan Snyder

#5: The Proposal at Snyder Art

I have always been a believer in the ability of connecting people through art and there isn’t a better example than what occurred at my studio one evening.

I was first approached with the idea of a ‘doodle’ illustration including a character proposing to another. I felt extremely honored and immediately began brainstorming the best way to capture this momentous occasion.

The finished doodle was hung in the back of my studio isolated from any other art. With plans of a romantic dinner scheduled later that evening, the soon-to-be fiance was invited by my good friend and soon-to-be groom to meet at my studio to browse art. After I stepped out for an “emergency” the couple began browsing my art. The tour ended at the back of the studio with a doodle, a ring and one very happy couple…

…and today the get married!

Congratulations Leslie and Tyler!!!

#4: The First Day

I was given the keys by Alice and Art Brown of Aurthur Brown Plumbing on May 8th, 2008, which coincided with the Carlsbad Street Faire. My doors swung open, music blasted on my boombox and a series of my first drip paintings created in my garage were on display.

As the faire kicked into full gear and over 90,000 people walked the village streets, I paced up and down the sidewalk in front of my freshly opened studio. I greeted every passerby and shared the vision I had revisited so many times in my head of a working art studio where the public could interact and experience the creative process of an artist.

Many whom I talked to showed interest and entered my freshly painted studio. At this early moment, it looked more like small room with unfinished renovations, but I expressed that it was only a matter of time until the walls would be covered in new paintings and multiple projects would be scattered across the floors.

Without a business card or a sign on the front facade, I invited each visitor during that first day to come back as often as the wished. I invited them to bring as many friends along during their visits and I invited them to ask as many questions and take as many photos as they wished.

Since that first day in May 2008, I have had thousands of visits from both locals and Carlsbad visitors, many who have revisited my studio on a weekly basis. The amount of friendships I have solidified have grown exponentially over the years.

From the beginning and all the way up to the end, thank you for all your visits!

- Bryan Snyder

#3: Snyder Art and Design Sign Installation

One day in early April, while riding my bike along State St. into the village, I glanced over at a storefront neighboring an old plumbing store. I had ridden my bike past this building thousands of times while growing up in the village, but this passing was different. I noticed boxes through the window of a small room. I skidded to a stop and approached the plumbing store to inquire about the soon-to-be empty neighboring building.

After knocking repeatedly on the plumber’s front door, a short old lady hesitantly opened the door. She seemed a bit nervous; I only suspect my thick beard, sweating forehead and excited deep breathes caught her off guard. I asked if she knew the owner of the neighboring building. She seemed to relax and told me she, along with her husband, was the owner.

I introduced myself and shared my vision of a village based art studio where the public would be invited to see art, but more importantly, to witness the creative process. For the next hour we shared stories. She read me her poetry and I shared photos off my camera.

With my interest in the neighboring storefront very obvious, I asked her if I could rent it. She told me that she would love to have be as a neighbor, but it would be up to her husband. She gave me a card and told me to call him later that evening. After reading his name on the card, I knew I was in… Art Brown!

Like all my paintings, my sign was created in my signature drip technique. The brush never touches the paintings and wild and gestural streams of paint drip through a stencil and onto the chosen surface. Turquoise and terracotta colors dominated the drips to blend in with the paint job of the building at the time and solid black gloss paint was used in for the text to stand out and glisten in the morning sun. With the help of long time friend and talented carpenter Brian Cramer, my studio sign went up.

Every time I ride my bike down State and glance over at my studio, I think of that day when an old dusty storefront inspired my vision of a village based studio open to the public.

Thanks Alice and Art for providing the soil for my vision to grow from!

- Bryan Snyder

#2: Snyder Art Bathroom Walls

If you you visited my studio over the past 4 years, whether during one of my annual solo art shows, a ‘You Create the Art’ community art show or any of your random visits, you probably have added a doodle or message to my bathroom walls.

I do most of my thinking while taking very long hot showers, sitting on the can or staring into the mirror so the bathroom, as funny as it sounds, has always represented a place for inspiration…. and what better way to record an idea than with the immediate scribble on the nearest wall!

The bathroom also represents a place of privacy. An isolated room behind a locked door where actions undisclosed take place. Inhibitions are vanished like a stinky turd is flushed and sites unseen remain a mystery.

I offered my studio bathroom as, not only a place for inspiration, but also as a place where creative inhibitions could be ignored. I encouraged all who closed the door behind them to let their imagination run wild on my walls and guaranteed, if desired, that their creations would remain anonymous.

Over the years the walls of my studio bathroom evolved into a community canvas of expression. They fueled the continued fascination of the creative process in some and encouraged the act of making art in public for the first time without being judged, criticized or restricted in others.

Thanks for making my trips to the bathroom so inspiring!

- Bryan Snyder

After nearly 4 years of art, community and culture, my studio will be closing. These past years have been the most rewarding and creative period of my life and I would like to share some of my favorites with you.

Each day leading up to the closing date of January 23, 2012 will consist of one of my favorite memories. Enjoy Snyder Art memory number 1…

#1: The Unflappable Lavender Plant and Tomato Tree

Lavender plants occupied the planter when I first opened the studio back in 2008. The scent, along with the lavender plants from the the neighboring planters of Aurthur Brown Plumbing, was strong and stopped many passersby in their tracks. Apparently to some, it smelled like marijuana.

My favorite was while I painted inside, two kids around 13 years old stopped, kicked up their skateboards and took in a whiff at the planter. I kept painting, but attentively listened to their short conversation.

“Dude, do you smell that marijuana?” one asked.

“Duh, it’s an art studio,” the other replied.

These Lavender plants not only smelled like marijuana to some, but were completely out of control. I felt they were out to get me. A trim would ignite an onslaught of new sprouts and unflappable growth. I decided to replace one side of the planer with a cherry tomato plant to reduce the amount of maintenance.

The tomato plant began slow. I don’t even like tomatoes, but I love the combination of red and green. The additional lavender was a perfect mix.

The plant’s growth was healthy, and over time, increased rapidly. Before I knew it, the plant had begun to climb up the wall and in and out of my window vent screen. I included a hanging apparatus once I realized the now identified tomato tree could topple over onto passersby at any moment.

Dozens of small and bright red dots began to appear all over the tree like dots on the belly of a young chicken pox victim. Due to the overwhelming amount of produce, and my distaste for tomatoes, I propped a “FREE TOMATOES” sign against the tree base inviting passersby to help themselves.

The tree grew strong and cherry tomatoes were picked by many. In addition to the introduction of red and green colors into my planter and the free produce offered to the community, it served as a great natural curtain hiding my preparations for my 2nd annual art show. Before unveiling the show, the Snyder Art Tomato tree was removed, but,  like the unflappable Lavender plant, which eventually was uprooted entirely, the memory lives on…

- Bryan Snyder