An art icon in the region has passed away.
Peter Etril Snyder died on Monday at Grand River Hospital at the age of 73.
Snyder was born and raised in Waterloo and began painting at the age of 12.
Seven years later, his first exhibition was on display at a mall gallery in Ottawa.
Snyder toured Europe throughout his twenties, along with trips to Central and South America, New Zealand and the United States.
In 1969, he returned to the region and started to paint what he’s best known for -- Mennonite life.
A year later, he started doing one-man shows, displaying his Mennonite paintings throughout Ontario and eventually across the country.
Snyder grew up in a Mennonite family himself and found success in painting what he knew best. His work was internationally recognized in 2004.
“Peter Etril Snyder turned a love for the pastoral beauty of our region’s outskirts into a decades-long project,” said the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement went on to say, “His legacy, however, is more than the scenes of leisure, horse-drawn carriages and idyllic landscapes that can be seen in his paintings. For many residents of the region, he will be known for his local charity work and entrepreneurial spirit.”
Snyder’s funeral will be held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home at a date and time to be determined.
