Brad Sneed was Kansas-born and lives in the sunflower state to this day. When asked why he chooses Kansas in which to live, he stated, “To be honest, I’ve asked myself that very question. I love the mountains. There are no mountains in Kansas. I enjoy the beach. The oceans are far, far away. Put simply, Kansas just feels like home.”

In 1985 Brad went to Kansas University to study illustration. At the end of his senior year he visited New York City to show his work to picture book editors and art directors. He was fortunate to meet an editor who was looking for someone to illustrate a story about an exuberant grandpa. That story was Grandpa’s Song and it proved to be his first opportunity to illustrate a picture book. Since than time he has illustrated well over twenty books.

The Brad Sneed art in the Mazza Museum is a watercolor from Thumbelina titled “Field Mouse and Thumbelina in Front of Fireplace,” plus five watercolors from Aesop’s Fables titled “Back End Paper,” “Dedication Page,” “Front End Paper,” “Jacket Front,” and “Title Page.”