Stephen Snider's Tribute to a Flying Officer

Stephen Snider turned one of life's lemons into lemonade. As a young man, Stephen was rejected for military service when he failed the coloured dot test. Now, many yars later, Stephen, has become a successful commercial artist. Although, there ar times he finds iironical when he is called upon to paint military artworks.

I was struck by the pensive look Stephen in his subject in this work. It transcends military rank and uniform. We see the face of a man who is lost in his inner landscape. What is he thinking of?

Like any good artist, Stephen strives to gives his art life and meaning. In this picture, he has opened a door of many thoughts. What has happened in his subject's life? Is he reflecting on experiences past? Is he thinking about the helicopter we see below him?

Artist's Comment:

I did this particular portrait for the army back in the mid '80's and the original hung for years in the Armed Forces College on Avenue Rd. This flying officer was sent over to Italy back in the '70's to help out after a devastating earthquake there. His helicopter flew into hydro lines and got tangled and crashed to his death. After that incident the Armed Forces devised special heavy duty wire cutters to be mounted on top of the canopy and underneath the fuselage to cut the wires for the next time, so his life was not in vain

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