Utah artist remembered for passion, sensitivity

Those who love V. Douglas Snow said Utah lost a "constant inspiration" and a man with a "poetic kind of nature" Tuesday.

Snow, 82, an artist whose life passion was painting the rugged landscape of southern Utah, died in a rollover in Sevier County, northwest of his Wayne County home in Teasdale.

Frank McEntire, former executive director of the Utah Arts Council and longtime friend of Snow, said that area of Utah was the main subject of Snow's work, which is displayed in prominent murals statewide and in many museums.

"He would look out on the coxcombs and see the land of his inspiration," McEntire said. "He would take walks out there and he drew great solace from the land. I think the state of Utah has been enriched by his productivity in so many ways."

Snow is best known for many murals, including those at the old Salt Lake Library (now the Leonardo), Matheson Courthouse, the University of Utah graduate school of social work building, the Salt Lake International Airport, Pioneer Theatre and Snowbird, states a biography on the University of Utah Web site. The murals are known for their large sizes and use of vibrant color.

McEntire said Snow felt he had one more painting in him.

"We were up at his home just this past weekend and … he mentioned that he really wanted to paint another mural," McEntire said. "Just thinking of those huge pieces of work, to think that we could have another, that was thrilling to contemplate."

Though he loved the land, McEntire said Snow was "first and foremost a family man" and that was what gave his work depth.

"That (family) really was the subtext of his work," McEntire said. "That gave him the passion to be able to interpret a landscape around him, it gave it a sensitivity that probably wouldn't have been there otherwise."

Tony Smith, a colleague of Snow's from the University of Utah who said he came to see the artist as a "surrogate big brother," said Snow was, in a word, "charming." He said Snow never lost his curiosity and childlike spirit.

"He could be innocent in some ways, but he was also very capable and very worldly and very talented," Smith said. "He was a multifaceted, unique human being. There's nobody like him that I've known."

Snow was born in Salt Lake City in 1927, and later attended the University of Utah, Columbia University, New York's American Art School and the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He had both a bachelor's and master's degree in fine art. He was chairman of the U.'s Art Department from 1966-71 and his work can be found in New York's Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and BYU's Museum of Art.

e-mail: emorgan@desnews.com