Snead was born in London and, along with her mother, fled home at a young age, keeping her destination secret from her father, who was mentally unstable and potentially dangerous. Around the age of 20 Snead became depressed, possibly a genetic tendency inherited from her father. “Try this, that and the other,” she wrote. “No satisfaction, lonely, bored. During my early 20s, deep depressions started to descend, self-pitying they were, and would hang around for months. I cried a lot, wanted to hibernate like the bears or to be very old or dead.” She came to life in 1936 after being taken with a friend’s painting, so much so that she too decided to create art. Her paintings are characterized by a nocturnal palette, exotic animals, New Mexico-style planes, ancient sculptures and ruins, sophisticated feminine style, all experienced through a warped, all-seeing perspective. She stopped painting abruptly in 1950, after again battling depression. Towards the end of her life, Snead was “rediscovered” as an artist, and had the opportunity to witness the positive critical response to her work. “In 1998, I had turned 88 and time was running out to be rediscovered as a painter,” she wrote. “Quite suddenly the doors were flung open, and there was Neil Zukerman wanting to do just that! A solo exhibition in April 1999; a handsome catalogue; enthusiasm, encouragement, kindness, reliability, generosity. What lovely luck!?” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/seven-female-surrealists_us_55b8f5d2e4b0074ba5a702c8) Stella made an enormous impression on me. She was startlingly full of life. What does this platitude mean? In this case, it meant that Stella conveyed a sense of exuberance, of the use of all available energy, of being a cipher for the color and music of the world. She herself was colorful. Her hair was white and wavy, a clean, bright white, and her toenails a vivid pink. Her shoes were golden Indian sandals. Her clothes were western, but... (http://stellasnead.com/) undefined

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