Ray Snyder, Artist

1. Where did you grow up? From age seven, in South Bibb County. I attended Heard Elementary and Southwest High School.
2. How did that influence you? Not having the distractions of population or destination, I was an introvert who loved reading and art. Most vacations were to parks and historic sites, and instilled in me a great curiosity of nature and stories from the past that serve me well as an illustrator.
3. What is your favorite thing to do in Macon? I enjoy learning the history of Macon and trying to imagine downtown as it was at different periods of the past. I really miss the mounted police patrols, the haunting sound of hooves echoing on quiet downtown streets really made the past come to life.
4. What is one thing that people would not see at first glance? In my teens I was an accomplished championship bowler and often thought of becoming a professional. I decided, though, to concentrate on my art as a career.
5. What has been the most significant accomplishment in your life? Why? Becoming a professional artist is my most significant accomplishment. As a child I marveled at the illustrations in the stories I read, and dreamed of being the person who did such wonderful things.
6. Do you have a hidden talent? I have a talent for reconstructing fossils. I was once given, by a friend (after he returned from a Montana dig), a ziploc bag of shattered bone. Without knowing the origin or type of bone, I reconstructed an entire lower leg section of a North American Camel.
7. What movie would best describe you? Heaven (1987), by Diane Keaton.
8. What do you do best? I would like to think that I am best at bringing out the best in others. I enjoy brainstorming and playing devil's advocate, making others second guess themselves to find a more perfect course. I've often said that I don't make the books you love, I make the books you love better.
9. Who in your life has most influenced you? Although I am very much a product of my parents, I have to say that my wife, Kim, has most influenced me. She is gifted with a wisdom that surprised me in our youth and continues to amaze me to this day.
10. Tell me about a challenge that you overcame. I was born with hip dysplasia and wore leg braces for a few years. Although not exactly like the 'Forest Gump' braces, there was little difference.
11. What do you do for fun in your free time? As strange as it sounds, I very much enjoy cleaning and preparing Roman artifacts in my spare time.
12. How do you define success? I think that success is more of a path than a goal. If you're enjoying the path that you are on the destination is not so very important.
13. Who do you most admire? I admire volunteers of any kind. The people who take of their own time to improve the lives of others are the best among us.
14. Did you move around a lot? As a small child my parents moved often, but I don't remember much of that. As an adult I've moved very little, and for the past 20 years I've lived downtown or very close to it.
15. Are there any issues you feel passionately about? I love animals. The fact that companion animals are, by law, simple property appalls me. "Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends." Alexander Pope
16. Do you have a nickname? No.
17. Where is your favorite place to visit? San Francisco, California.
18. What book are you reading right now? The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris
19. What’s hot? Downtown, Macon
20. What’s not? The loss of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.