BRADENTON, Fla. — A father-daughter artist duo out of Bradenton is adding their own little wrinkle to some of the world’s most iconic works of art. Their humorous parodies on the likes of Van Gogh and Picasso have even earned them an invite to the Dali Museum.
Ken Snyder was a high school art teacher in New York for 32 years before retiring in Bradenton.
“There are a lot of other things I could have probably done with my life, but I don’t know if they’d be as rewarding as teaching. I loved it, I loved the kids,” said Ken.
His favorite student would have to be his own daughter, Kim, who is a professional face painter.
“Some of my greatest moments are when my dad has come to watch me paint at renaissance fairs, and he’s fascinated watching me paint,” said Kim.
However, Kim thought she might lose her father in 2018 when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“I just kept thinking good thoughts and did my best,” said Ken.
Ken was able to beat the disease just in time to welcome a pandemic. That’s when he decided to collaborate with his favorite pupil.
“The name of the book is, 'There’s A Goose In My Bed,' and it’s about a time-traveling goose who visits very famous artists, painters throughout history, and he finagles a way to get into the paintings somehow,” said Ken.
From American Gothic to Whistler’s Mother, you never know where Artsy is going to turn up next.
One of the pages even caught the attention of the Salvador Dali Museum.
“This is called the Persistence of Memory, its melting watches and clocks. Artsy has somehow finagled himself to get into the picture, mimicking the same as the watches. He’s melting,” said Ken while looking over the illustration.
The museum is now selling the book in the gift shop, inviting Ken and Kim to participate in a book signing Sunday, Dec. 11, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“It's one of the best things that’s ever happened to me in my artistic career, and I think for my dad, too,” said Kim.
For more information on the book and the authors, click here.
