Curt Sneary, born Curtis Raymond Sneary; June 6, 1964 - Present (age 60) is an American visual artist best known for his Neo-Pop genre highlighting movies and television. He gained popular recognition [1] in St. Petersburg, FL during the 2010s with his Satirical Pop Art. A contentious divorce and the desire for a bigger art scene brought Curtis to New York City in 2023.
Early Life and Beginnings (1964-1979)
Sneary was born on June 6, 1964, in Columbus, Ohio. He is the second child of Lewis Sneary (1940-2022). His mother is of Prussian descent and his father was of Irish descent. His parents divorced when he was eight years old. "This is when my brother and I basically started to raise ourselves. I had many friends in similar situations as us, there were many broken families during the 70's.
Photos left: Curt's parents and Curt.
"first Grade Class Portrait". 54x48 inches. Oil/acrylic on canvas by Curtis Sneary.
Recipient of the prestigious Rene Steidle Memorial Award, The Ohio Arts League.
"Columbus Ohio in the 60s and 70s was very Midwest, hence the lack of diversity. I enjoyed all sitcoms during this period. These shows made sense to me (generationally).
Curtis' father's second marriage took the family to Plain City where Curt attended Jonathan Alder High School his freshman year (1979).
"REDD". 30X40 INCHES. OIL/ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
BY CURTIS SNEARY.
1980 s
After Curt's father's second divorce the family relocated to Grandview Hts. where he attended Grandview Hts. High School until his graduation in 1982. "I was very fortunate to have had an athletic build, wrestling played a role in developing my body. My popularity at Grandview was nice, but I'm a natural introvert so I wasn't always that comfortable with the attention. You sort of just fall into a category in high school whether you want it or not. I was just having a lot of fun and wasn't paying much attention to what was happening around me. It's later in life that you look back and realize how important it all was; the socializing, that feeling of being safe in your own little bubble."
Photo: Mr. G.H.H.S. Contest, May 1982. Extracted from the Grandview Hts. 1982 High School Yearbook (The Highlander).
Archived at the Grandview Hts. Public Library.
Columbus College of Art and Design [CCAD]. 1984
Curtis Sneary received a scholarship to CCAD where he graduated in1987 with a BFA in Advertising Design and a minor in Studio Art.
"I looked forward to the painting classes the most. CCAD was a tough school; only half of the Freshman would make it to the next year."
photo extracted from CCAD archives.
1990 s into the 2000 s
Curtis left Columbus, OH for greener pastures in Atlanta, GA.
"I was working for the Columbus Dispatch in their Creative Services department, so I was able to assimilate comfortably by getting a job with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, also in their Creative Services department. I hung with a very creative group in Atlanta; this was a great period of growth for me as an artist."
After work with the Atlanta Journal Curt became a Creative Director for Inez Cooper and Associates where he won national awards for his print and television campaigns.
Illustration Right: by Curtis Sneary for The Atlanta Journal.
"Working on computers all day played havoc with my eyes, so I started to focus more on the fine art."
Atlanta was a good art scene in the late 90's offering Mr. Sneary major sales and commissions from the V. Reed Art Gallery in Virginia Highlands. "A banker from London bought my painting 'Moe's & Joe's' from the V. Reed Gallery. At the time this was the biggest sale I had ever had which gave me the confidence to continue with the art."
Painting Left: "Moe's & Joe's". 40x50 inches. Oil on canvas. Private collection, London, UK. Prints available.
After traveling around Europe, Curt returned to Columbus, OH to be closer to family and consecutively opened the C.Sneary Art Gallery.
"The Gallery began as a muse and ended with thirty plus artist, which quickly became overwhelming. My personality is more suited for solitude. Beth also couldn't take the cold weather in Columbus so we migrated south to St. Petersburg, FL"
Mr. Sneary took a hiatus from painting to raise his son and to restore a Craftsman Bungalow in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood in St. Petersburg, FL.
"St. Petersburg's soft coastal breezes and beauty kept me for eighteen years. Our house was five miles to the Gulf of Mexico and two miles from Tampa Bay (Downtown St. Petersburg). The area had yet to become a destination so the quiet and serenity was wonderful."
Excerpt right: from Elizabeth Ann James
2010 to 2019
Around two thousand and ten Curtis began to become more prolific with Florida landscapes, Satirical Pop Art and Neo Pop Art. "The landscapes were my hobby and the Pop Art was my job." His landscapes began to sell consistently, and his Pop Art became very popular in the St. Petersburg area.
"Iconic images are his playing field, and when you see them you can't stop looking."
Janelle Faignant, Creative Loafing.
"Curtis Sneary has dedicated a number of acrylic and oil compositions to visually interpret what is not considered the social norm."
Ashley Harrison
Right: 2010 Book of Lists featured artist.
Painting "Vinoy" by Curtis Sneary. Prints and magnets available.
Sneary is often be seen on his bike with easel strapped to his back perusing the Tampa Bay on the St. Pete side. He still has a foot in St. Petersburg with his company St Pete Artist.
"I have family in St. Pete so I'm down there often."
Left: 2010 Book of Lists featured artist.
Curtis Sneary and Beth Crosa at Book of List Gala, Tampa, FL
"The Vinoy Hotel in St. Pete was very good at promoting me as a resident artist. I painted in their lobby and around the grounds quite a bit."