Stone Lithographs of John Snow
Exhibition and sale in our Front gallery until July 2
“Decanters” 3/50 John Snow
A pioneering printmaker who started the first fine art lithographic press studio in Calgary, he was also a painter and sculptor. His extensive body of work is well-known in Calgary, where his vibrant prints grace numerous public and private collections
John Harold Thomas Snow was born in Vancouver in 1911. His family moved to England during WWI, there, Snow’s English relatives fostered in him an interest in art and music. The family returned to Alberta in 1919.
In 1928, Snow took a job with the Royal Bank of Canada and began a distinguished banking career that would last 43 years. His career was only interrupted when he was called to service in WWII
as a navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
After the war, Snow returned home with a renewed interest in art. He signed up for a life drawing class with Maxwell Bates at the Provincial Institute of Technology. Bates and Snow became good friends and printing partners. As the story goes, in 1953, Maxwell Bates and John Snow rescued and rehabilitated two lithographic presses from the Western Printing and Lithograph Company, in Calgary, when the firm was upgrading to more modern equipment.
“Girl” Maxwell Bates 9/14 1961
“Ceremony” John Snow 3/50 1961
They learned, through trial and error and manuals, how to master the machine. Soon both were creating artworks using the press. Two examples here, Bates’ “Girl” and Snow’s “Ceremony” show how closely they worked: the prints are the exact same size and utilize the same colours.
Lithography would define Snow’s work for the rest of his life. One piece here, “Couple”, was made in 1951 when Snow was still experimenting with linocuts.
The principle of lithography is, in simple terms, that oil and water do not mix. First drawing on a flat surface (called a matrix) of stone or metal with a wax-based medium, the stone is then dampened with water and then inked. The ink clings to the grease medium, but not to the dampened flat areas. A piece of paper is then pressed against the stone or metal, and the ink from the greasy impression transfers to the paper.
Snow produced 410 of his own lithographs, (The Nickle Galleries at the University of Calgary has a complete set of his lithographs), plus assisted fellow artists such as Bates, Illingworth Kerr and Pat Gordon with editions of their lithographs. Snow was deemed a mentor to new artists and helped usher Alberta into the modernist period along with Max Bates.
Snow worked tirelessly to promote art in Calgary. He became a technical expert on the lithographic press, hand-pulling each of his prints. He also invited people into his studio to observe and learn from him. He championed the fine art print, praising not only its quality, but its affordability. Snow wanted people of modest means to be able to acquire fine art. Landscape, the figure, abstract forms and the still life all appear in Snow’s prints.
“Gallery” John Snow 27/45 (available to purchase)
Snow retired from the Royal Bank 1971, his works are still proudly displayed in the bank’s head office in Montreal. Snow produced numerous exhibitions throughout Canada, the U.S., Japan, France, England, Chile, Mexico, Italy, Scotland, and Australia.
He received the Alberta Order of Excellence on November 21, 1996.
John Snow died peacefully on August 23, 2004 at the age of 92, after several years of failing health.
Clockwise: “Bottles in Moonlight” Maxwell Bates 8/11 1961 (NFS); “Decanters” John Snow (sold); “Red Vase” John Snow 9/50 (available); “Blue Bowl and Flowers” John Snow 38/50 (available)
