Harland Snodgrass

Harland Snodgrass by John Harvey

For over 50 years Harland Snodgrass made art. He showed art. He taught art. Most never knew.

We present Harland as the multifaceted visual artist he is (not just “the video guy”). He found inspiration in such diverse areas as jazz, the treads of an automobile tire, #1 pencils, The Velvet Underground, neon tubing, banjos, James Rosenquist, funky drummers, Kawasaki motorcycles, geodesic domes, Strohs beer, Andy Warhol or the rows and rows and rows of crops surrounding his farm in upstate New York.

An artist of multiple talents and disciplines: filmmaker, painter, printmaker, draftsman, photographer, educator, designer of posters and T-shirts and oh yeah—a video artist—but most importantly a drummer. A shit-hot drummer.

Harland’s paintings drawings and prints were primarily from the 1960s and 1970s. He also made pieces prior to and after these decades. Harland’s work is a both a reflection of and a celebration of the art of its (his) era. But never shackled to a single style nor movement. Never dull. Always expressive. An explosion of visual treats. If you’re fortunate enough to own a Snodgrass, you know what we mean. But if you do not, there will be innumerable opportunities in 2022, 2023, 2024 etc. to see his work—in person—at upcoming gallery, university and museum shows throughout the country.