Raised near the north woods of Wisconsin, one artist’s early appreciation of the great outdoors only increased after he moved to the Santa Maria Valley. Local photographer Floyd Snyder has called the Central Coast his home for most of his adult life, an area he appreciates for the multitude of environments it encompasses.
“The Central Coast provides such a wide array of scenes—from beaches, rocky coastlines, vineyards, wineries, and so much more,” said Floyd, whose wife, Barbara, originally brought him to Santa Maria, the city she was born and raised in.
A Vietnam-era Air Force veteran, Floyd sought to settle down with Barbara, also a prolific photographer, in Santa Maria after his tour of duty ended. The rest is history, and they haven’t left since.
One of the reasons the couple enjoys living in Santa Maria so much is the amount of day trip opportunities the region allows.
“We feel so fortunate to have Monterey, Cambria, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, and the Santa Ynez areas as destinations for travel and relaxation,” Floyd said.
For both Snyders, living in the moment during these scenic outings is only half of the fun; the other half is capturing these moments with their cameras.
Over the past several years, Floyd and Barbara’s photographs have been showcased in local galleries and publications as well. One of their last exhibitions before the start of the pandemic was at Shepard Hall Gallery (located inside the Santa Maria Public Library) in 2018.
Last month, the couple returned to the gallery for a new duo show, Return to Peace and Tranquility, which will remain on display through the end of October. Their 2018 exhibit was called Peace and Tranquility, hence the “Return” in the new show’s title. But the word choice also represents a return to normalcy, Floyd explained.
“When everyone was going through trying times due to COVID-19, so many things changed,” Floyd said. “Many galleries and venues were not available to showcase artwork, leaving a big hole in what had once been.”
Thankful to return to Shepard Hall Gallery as the pandemic is subsiding, the Snyder couple hopes viewers of the exhibit will feel the same sense of serenity they felt while taking the show’s featured photographs.
“Most of the images are very peaceful and tranquil seascapes and landscapes,” Floyd said. “We have primarily focused on the Central Coast’s peaceful and beautiful scenes that are relatively close by.”
Many of the couple’s photographic landscapes and seascapes in the show were taken at places where it’s easy to relax, Floyd said, including idyllic spots in Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, and the Monterey Peninsula. One of the couple’s mutual favorites is Barbara’s photo, Lone Cypress, which is also available for purchase through the Snyders’ online gallery, FAS Gallery.
The Shepard Hall exhibit also features a selection of digitally altered photographs, in which the Snyders get to showcase a more abstract side of their works. While these pieces can be quite surreal, especially compared to the couple’s traditional landscapes, they continue the exhibit’s trend of capturing outdoor gems along the Central Coast.
For Floyd, the couple’s definitive collaboration in this series is Funky Wine Truck, which he edited and altered from a photo Barbara took at Blackjack Winery in Solvang, he explained.
“Funky Wine Truck has always been our favorite because it is a true collaboration. Barbara took the original photograph and I spent hours enhancing it, borrowing van Gogh’s style of Starry Night and turning it into a really fun abstract,” Floyd said. “It has become our signature piece and the one image for which we are probably most well-known.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is feeling starry. Send comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 21-28, 2021.
