Rufus Snoddy emerged from the “separate but equal” world of East Texas as an adolescent in the late 1950′s. He was the tenth of twelve children born to Rufus and Catherine Snoddy, a poor but proud couple who spent their lives working menial jobs to support their large family.

He came to Los Angeles at the age of eleven, after his father had been run out of Texas by his politically powerful white employer who falsely accused him of working for the NAACP.

Coming from the wide open fields and prairies of rural Texas to the congestion of Los Angeles at such a tender age gave root to an appreciation for dichotomy which is still apparent in Snoddy’s work. Rolling green hills peacefully revealing their nearly human forms under ominously darkening skies sporadically appearing laced within heavily textured surfaces.

“Texture is very important to me,” Snoddy remarks on his work. “I can’t seem to make my work lay down. It isn’t in me to create things without texture.”

The texture of Snoddy’s work in many ways reflects the texture of his history. He calls his works “construction paintings”. They are sculpted works that could most accurately be described as “hanging out” from a wall rather than simply hanging on it.

As a young man growing up in Los Angeles, Rufus lived in a world peopled by colorful characters experiencing tragedy as a matter of course. Trying to navigate social issues brought on by urban angst present in such a sprawling, divisive and sometimes violent environment often proved a daunting task. A desire to explore other life experiences led Rufus to connect with a group of people interested in sailing and other forms of boating where he traveled throughout the world for many years. During this time he embarked upon a series of works dealing with this period of his life as well as other social and cultural issues of the past.

Treating these issues and others that make reference to genetic memory texturally, many of Rufus’ pieces show semi-human figures, partial bodies and orifices spilling conglomerate material almost aggressively “at” the viewer. Jagged edges, smooth surfaces, harvested natural materials, throw away and fabricated objects painted in resplendent but subdued color represent the search for meaning and the matter-of-fact tragedy that is life for many people trying to survive in the inner cities and other places in our world today.

Sometimes Snoddy utilizes movement, sound and light to lend animation. Language is often incorporated into his work, but always cryptically, requiring the reader/viewer to take note of the entire piece. Once the message is decoded, the impression it leaves gives new and lasting meaning to the layers of form that surrounds.

Rufus was the first of his family to attend college, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Design from California State University at Los Angeles in 1973 and a Masters of Arts degree in Fine Arts  in 1976.

Today he continues to find new means of expression. His work has been shown in New York, Philadelphia, Santa Fe, Paris, Michigan, and several galleries and museums in California. He lives and works in Suttons Bay, Michigan.