Peter etril snyder biography sampler

World travel ‘seasoned’ artist’s perception

Waterloo Region has produced an impressive number of significant artists.

But there is no question that two names resonate most strongly when it comes to portraying the region on canvas: Homer Watson, whose work bridged the 19th and 20th century, and Peter Etril Snyder, perhaps the quintessential Waterloo artist, who painted in the 20th and 21st centuries, right up to his death in 2017 at age 73.

Peter Etril Snyder is certainly best known for his depictions of Old Order Mennonite life in Waterloo Region and environs, and for his paintings of horses, a life-long passion of the artist.

Five of eight books written and/or illustrated by Snyder have paintings of horses on the cover. Both those themes are well represented in the October 24th Miller & Miller Canadiana & Historic Objects auction.

But Snyder’s interest and artistic skill extended far beyond Waterloo County, repo