Fine line

Tim Snyder threads the needle on social commentary

In this harsh, cold, tech-driven world we live in, the art of social commentary without offence is rare to find, but for six years now Tim Snyder and his County Cartoons have been able to straddle that line between somewhat cutthroat, and between comment and statement. His topics stay on target with what the County is currently buzzing about and his lighthearted take on County life is both poignant and ominous at the same time. Snyder’s cartoons play with the lighter side of a very dark comedic take on rural life in 2018.

Snyder recently opened his show, Politics and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance, at Artistic Inklings in Picton. The show features artwork by Snyder, including editorial cartoons and motorcycle and hot rod shenanigans in screen prints, digital prints and ink drawings.

When asked about his inspiration for the cartoons he comes up with, Snyder says that he is always on the lookout for the next comic idea but admits that sometimes it’s hard to keep the topics local.

“It’s easy to get distracted these days and fall down the Trump wormhole, but I always make sure to keep up with what’s happening locally,” says Snyder.

In the tattoo shop, Snyder is standing in front of one of his comics on display. A caricature of Doug Ford with beer goggles on, drinking from a keg that says “Barley Daze” on the label.

“Sometimes you’re given a gift where the local and larger issues come together to create an opportunity not-to-be-missed,” says Snyder with a smile.

Snyder started his career by taking illustration at Sheridan College. After that, he spent 12 years in animation. His career focused mostly in a form called stop motion, which required the building of puppets and elaborate sets. He also worked as a storyboard artist for movies and television, which may have been the catalyst for his decision to draw cartoons. Snyder has always been interested in editorial cartoons, so the progression for him was a natural one and he quickly got used to commenting on the County via his own pictures and words. Snyder says that when he has completed a cartoon that he thinks will be a little more sensitive to some readers, there is always a feeling of regret.

“There are some where as soon as I send it out I think ‘Oh no! what have I done?’ I also think that with the way the world is going, if I wasn’t poking fun at things and trying to have a laugh, I’d just be in tears all the time. It’s weird out there,” says Snyder.

As for future ideas, there are some big topics that the new council must tackle in the first six months that could become a target for Snyder. The budget, the new official plan, STA licensing, what should the County do about the cannabis industry. Snyder is hopeful that the new council will be able to make more headway on the topics that matter most to the residents of the County. Something that Snyder says the previous council failed to do.

“It’s difficult looking back on the last term and seeing what they wanted to attack at the beginning versus what was completely missed by the end. Four years go by quickly. Some people are saying that we have twelve years to turn things around in terms of environmental issues, where others on the extreme end say we have don’t have twelve years to turn things around, you have twelve years left,” says Snyder.

As far as commenting when it comes to the hot-button topics, Snyder just hopes that everyone can see the absurdity in some of these situations, and hopefully the humor too. From his “Road Budget Monster”, to affordable housing, to gay pride, Snyder’s cartoons have always found a way to lean towards a side, but just far enough to tread that fine line.

Snyder’s work will be on display for the month of November at Artistic Inklings, located at 230 Main Street in Picton.