Snyder Responds to Accusations and Claims his Creative Ground

Vandalog recently compared some of Snyder's art pieces to Banksy, Dran and Saber, and accused Snyder of not being original.

As we mentioned in the comments on Vandalog the article seemed completely off base as Snyder was being called out for quality pieces that somewhat resemble some things that great artists have done, but it seems such a stretch to say they are more than loosely similar, and Snyder's pieces are independent works that stand on their own.  Vandalog even backtracked from parts of the article after 'remembering' that Snyder had been working with his cartoon characters his entire life, and were not in fact copied from Dran or any other artist.

Followers of Melrose and Fairfax know that Snyder is one of the most active, innovative, and engaging street artists in the scene today, not just in LA, but all around the world.  Time and again Snyder has shown incredible talent with his placement, interweaving his pieces with the environment in ways that highlight both the art and interact with the surroundings (which is something that Vandalog recognizes).

But beyond that talent, Snyder has carved out his own individual style, as well as engaged people on the streets as never before, and he is one of the best spokespersons for the genre.   Not only created his own style, he has invented a unique signature drip stencil technique.  Snyder is well aware of his history and combined elements from great artists.  Snyder listes Van Gogh's texture, Banksy's stencils, and Pollock's technique as his influences in creating his drip technique, the style which is fully his own.

And Snyder is such a cognizant artist whose main goal is to engage the community, and he does this in great new ways.  From art interruptions like Cupid forcing people to walk closer on the sidewalk for Valentine's Day (this was the first time we heard of Snyder), to interactive scavenger hunts requiring people to scour the city for every piece and then giving a huge prize of an original piece of art as a reward, to his capacity only community paint sessions in Carlsbad, Snyder has become a favorite in Carlsbad and now on Melrose.  Seriously, Snyder has more than half a dozen commission walls riding on Melrose, and even his unsanctioned street pieces have got buffed around, preserving his art.

And Snyder is one of the most well spoken representatives of street art.  Snyder even issued his own well reasoned response to Vandalog's post which chronicles his street art history.  It is worth checking out and you can read it HERE.

The fact is, Snyder is aware of his past, has created his own artistic persona, and is forging new ground in the future.  Stay up~