don’t know much about Snyder… but it almost sounds like you are saying Banksy and Saber invented trompe l’oeil?

C’mon RJ, what is this?  You are bringing your own relationships and associations to Snyder’s work, and unfairly judging him by that. You are calling Snyder out for quality pieces that somewhat resemble some things that great artist’s have done, but Snyder’s are independent works that stand on their own.  I can’t speak for Snyder on all aspects but I do know that he has been drawing his Doodle characters his entire life, and was not influenced by Dran or others.  You can ask his mom for some of his early ‘doodles’ dating back decades.  As for the zipping, sure, it reveals what is behind the wall like Banksy’s maid piece, but Snyder’s piece is quite different.  It is placed at one of LA’s hottest street art spots, and placed right after a buff, so Snyder’s piece is trying to suggest that if you dig beneath the layers, the art is here.  It works perfectly.  And as for the basketball link that you posted in the comments above, it is only similar to Banksy in that both artist’s have a gift for skillfully utilizing the inherent environment in their art.  The basketball piece is downright brilliant, and one of my personal favorite street art pieces of all time.  It is so very well done.   This is your blog, but I don’t know understand why you would launch a personal attack on such a talented artist like Snyder.  His art is solid.  Snyder has his own style.   And the street art fans who follow it would agree that it is the farthest thing from disappointing–its pretty awesome.  I hear that Snyder just finished a new piece today–can’t wait to see it!

Any exposure is good exposure for Snyder! He must be doing something right if his name is being mentioned alongside such artists as Banksy, Dran and Saber. There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by some of top notch leaders of the street art world. Keep up the good work! 

I must take exception to your rude comments about Bryan Snyder’s artwork. First of all his character Doodles has been documented as being an early childhood drawing. There is proof available in case you are wondering. To slam an up-and-coming artist in your blog is just wrong on so many levels.  He is a talented young man with a very creative mind. He is a local guy and has been instrumental in furthering the interests in art in Carlsbad.  You need to reseach your subject more thoroughly. Artist slamming other artist’s work is not cool at all.

Coming up with something original is hard to do, we all know this. This blog, for instance, was inspired by other blogs. Frankly, I think you ripped this idea for a blog about street art from someone else. On a more personal note, Snyder is a really cool, down to earth guy who not only creates original and thoughtful street art but successfully ran his own studio and gallery in his hometown, inspiring people in the community to love and appreciate art. His canvas pieces are very well thought out and impressive and are currently hung all over our town as well as his street art pieces that don’t get buffed for a reason. So go ahead and say that he is unoriginal, but don’t forget that you are as well.

I appreciate everyone letting me know about Doodle being something that Snyder has been doing for a while. To be honest, it’s actually something I had discussed with him quite a while ago and had forgotten about.

Nonetheless, as I say in the update to this post, I still think much of his work is unoriginal and pretty much just recycles a lot of ideas that are floating around right now without adding anything unique or particularly noteworthy.

Thanks.  Yeah that’s true that a great artist should add their own spin, I suppose whether that spin is evident is in the eye of the beholder.  I do take your point though.  And thank you – debate is far more interesting than argument every time!

Might I suggest purchasing Bob Dylan’s 1st, self-titled record. While I think ALL of the tracks will help establish my argument in defense of Snyder’s “stealing” the creative statements of other, more well-known artists, I think track 5 of side 2 best emphasizes the point. Or for that matter, why not listen to any musical statement Pete Seeger EVER made. Perchance you have never encountered a Hip Hop Artist blatantly sampling the works of other artists. Have you even heard of William Shakespeare? As T.S. Elliot not only famously expressed, but in fact built his legacy embodying, “Good Poets Borrow, Great Poets Steal.” The truth is that art is a communal experience, and to claim that one artist can own a particular variation of expression is fallacy. Here, you compose writing so boldly as if you invented language itself. Where is your original statement? Condemning an artist for his public works is equally as old a practice as artists being inspired by others. Perhaps what we witness in Snyder is the humble first steps in what may evolve into an epic artistic voyage. Or perhaps, we simply see one individual boldly perusing his passion. Yes, maybe he uses a conglomeration of familiar voices, but what better way to draw attention then to use the best, most well known voices and images in order to publicize one’s own messages? Snyder doesn’t deny his roots. Perhaps in criticizing the particular aesthetics of some of his pieces, you miss his over all quality as an artist and agent for pursuing and inspiring the closet artists of San Diego to go after it with all they have, not fearing to hesitate because they aren’t “cool,” or “edgy,” or “original,” enough to pacify the critics.