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Snyder's strict fidelity to his light source is impeccable. His colors are nature perfect.
In approximately 19l2, the Cincinnati Tribune published the following article headed by the single underlined word.
Mr. F. C. Hill, Carrollton, KY, a centenarian now deceased, supplied Mr. Snyder's Palette given him during a period of his youth when he could not afford art lessons but was allowed to monitor the Master at work in his studio.
Mr. Snyder's Palette was as follows.
# 111 the Baldwin Indianapolis, Ind. Booklet.
Sizing 1# glue dissolved in water - 1 gallon.
While hot stir in - 8 ounces of Glycerin.
Give the canvas one coat, and paint with flat color put on with trowel or palette knife.
This information was furnished by Mr. Richard Traut, 2784 Montana Ave. Cincinnati, Ohio, 45211
Some of his best sellers were apparently local scene depicting Madison, perhaps people migrating out of Madison, wanting to take some of Madison with them. These include Hanging Rock, with the three-cornered rocks sticking out of one ledge, still there after 100 years. Also, The Railroad Cuts, Clifty Falls, the River Bend from the Hanover College Campus, and the wonderful Beech woods of the area, particularly on the George Swartz farm where he was boarded while he painted. Mr. Swartz had kennels where a Mr. John Gregerson trained fine bird dogs. Mr. Snyder painted some very fine bird dog portraits, mostly Setters with beautifully done "feathers" in their legs and tails, usually "on point" at some Quail in the brush or weeds. One picture was so beautifully framed with a carved dog in the left-hand lower corner and three quail carved and applied to the right-hand lower corner. This one brought $5,500.00 at a recent auction at Newcastle, IN.
(Editor's note)Please remember that my Dad wrote this book in the early 90's so any information as to prices, dates, etc. is good only for that time. The figure of $5500 by the standard of 2000 A.D. is far too low for this fine gentlemen's work.
There were Beech Groves at the Junction of the old Michigan Road and now 400 N. County Road and also Neaville's Grove on the old Deputy Pike. northwest of Madison. The Swartz farm was on Thornton Road North East of Madison, near Canaan, IN. The Groves are still in existence at Neaville's Grove and the Swartz Farm, as well as the house and buildings. The original log house has been covered up with weatherboarding but the big Creek Rock Chimney is still in use. It is a serene setting. Mr. Snyder apparently paid for his lodging with pictures, as 15 have recently come to light at the Estate of Mrs. Genevieve Swartz Vestal, including three small nudes.
Mr. Snyder had a friend, a Mr. Demaree. who had a livery stable in Madison. Mr. Demaree loved to fish, and his grandson, James Andy Demaree, tells me that his grandfather would often take Mr. Snyder out with him to a fishing hole near Manville, IN to a place we call the Mill Pond on Indian-Kentuck Creek. In my own collection of paintings, there is a beautiful creek scene with a man fishing and a Mill building at the end of the pond, which is about eight miles northeast of Madison. On the left of the picture large trees border a road coming toward the water's edge, which fills the lower left edge of the foreground and extends to the right edge of the picture, The two large trees bear the form of the American Elm. Along the road, there are trunks of five trees. Lighter-colored bushes break the shadow cast by the larger trees. To the left of the road is a large boulder sticking up out of the water as if to be a guide to the crossing. Behind it on the bank are three other stones with what appears to be red and white wild flowers. Right of the road is light-colored grass with Mr. Demaree standing on the edge of the stream with his reflection reaching across the water toward the artist who is apparently on the other side of the stream across the bank and out of the bottom of the picture. The mill is in the right quadrant of the picture with another large elm over it with hills behind it and a willow in front of the tree. The Millwheel has water spilling over it. Right of the mill is a green pasture with trees and bushes lining the creek bank.
A bright pink cumulous cloud is over the big tree and is reflected across the water to highlight nine boulders in the tower right corner of the picture. It is such a quiet and serene scene.
His "Railroad Cuts" leading up out of Madison are such a wonderful object of perspective, as all the crossties proceed up the hill away from the artist. There is a bridge across the cuts near the top and on beyond the bridge there is a locomotive with smoke pouring into the sky. At the base of the cuts on the left side of the picture there is only a long telegraph pole. The smoke and steam from the train fill the sky above the track and spill to the right into the cerulean blue sky as clouds. Large ledges of rock show on the right of the cut with trees on the top and the slope toward Irish Hollow. Even the gravel along the roadbed is beautifully done. There is a fence from the lower right corner to the base of the rocks at the south end of the cuts. The West edge of the cuts extends up out of the picture.
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 Don Wood |
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