Jan 1-15, 2012
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The Red Hook Star-Revue SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
1970’s model & movement expert Martin Snaric uses silk to craft the natural movement of flowers By Elizabeth Graham
F
or years, the fashion industry was his medium. Designers coveted his lithe walk down the runway, some of the world’s most well-known fashion photographers sought to capture his classic features and frame in provocative poses, and powerful retailers used him in catalogs and ad campaigns. Martin Snaric is a movement expert – his awareness of the power of one’s walk, posture and gestures helped launch his iconic fashion career. Years later, it’s the natural movement of flowers that inspires Snaric, who creates silk arrangements out of his Carroll Street apartment. Inside his home, potted flowers cover tables, hang from windows and sit on shelves. There are orchids, white tulips, mistletoe, amaryllis, hydrangeas, dancing orchids, cymbidiums, vandas, peonies and ladyslippers. More bouquets fill a back room, where red, white, orange, purple and pink blooms make the space feel like a springtime garden. Most are anchored in clear resin in glass pots, but some are suspended from faux tree bark as they are in the wild. Flowers are hope … these flowers are movement, Snaric says of the cheerful and very realistic-looking arrangements that are scattered throughout the rooms. Following his move to Brooklyn in October, word of Snaric’s faux pieces spread quickly. His silk flowers add color to a number of local homes, and demand is so high that he is planning on offering private classes. Part of the appeal is the durability of the bouquets, which can be washed, kept outside and won’t fade. Snaric’s backyard also serves as a studio, where he can spread out to create the one of-a-kind pieces. I look at the real (flower) and I do my best to honor it by copying it so you can’t tell the difference, he said. I really do my research. The placement is what I’ve been getting most recognized for. But Snaric first made a name for himself as one of the few established male models of the 1970s and 80s. A chance encounter in 1973 with Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali, who spotted him on the streets of Manhattan and asked him to pose for some sketches, quickly led to more jobs, landing him on the runway for many of the era’s top designers. He became even more recognizable after a mannequin in his likeness was used for years in display windows of retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and Macy’s. Snaric’s success as a model led to an appearance on Saturday Night Live and roles in several movies, including She Devils with Meryl Streep and The Last Remake of Beau Geste with Ann-Margaret. He was married to supermodel Pat Cleveland and worked with nearly every major designer in the 1970s, in(continued on page 3)
Also In This Issue:
Columbia Street Collapse - page 7
Star Theater Jam hits the road - page 12
A Moving Experience with Matt Graber - page 5