About
Peter Knapp
Lives in Sunderland, MA USA
Born May 1, 1950
Statement: December 2024
Art has been a steadfast partner my whole life, but with the day to day family financial responsibilities I faced, my dream of fine art as a career was not realized. In my 60’s a series of health issues changed this. Illness took a toll on my mind as well as body. Art became my salvation, providing a healing path that has evolved to include issues beyond the personal - matters in the community, the world, the universe – all within and subservient to nature and our place in it. With support from my family, I now devote my life to art full time.
Years of experience in painting, drawing and woodcut printmaking have now merged into a mixed media process that incorporates elements and styles from all three. When engaged with a current project, I like to think ahead, what to do next, seeking steps to improve. Titles (often in development stage) are an important start as they set the foundation and guidelines for what to explore. A number of projects can be in planning or progress at once. Taking a lesson I have learned from the artist Hyman Bloom, I believe this keeps my perspective fresh, innovative and expanding. My artwork exists on what I call a “bridge of continuity”, developing ideas and techniques based on what I am learning at the moment, what has been successful previously, what I can improve next time, and what I can try that is new - all to enrich my conceptual and physical creative skills. Towards completion of a work, it is first instinct, then a decisive feeling the theme has been vigorously explored. At this time, what to do that is new or just touched upon is better expressed and developed in a new piece.
Continued in the next column...
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Memberships
Allied Artists of America (Elected - 5 Juried Shows) https://www.alliedartistsofamerica.org/
Boston Printmakers (Juried and Accepted) https://www.bostonprintmakers.org/
CAA – Collage Artists of America (Invitation - 2 Juried Shows) https://collageartists.org/
Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts (Elected Member – 3 juried shows; currently listed as Associate Member) https://www.ctacademy.org/
Copley Society of Art, Newbury Street, Boston MA (Full Member - Juried and Accepted 9-27-2023) https://copleysociety.org/
Greenwich Art Society (Invitation - 2 Juried Shows) https://www.greenwichartsociety.org/
Article appearing in
the Daily Hampshire
Gazette on 3/5/2022
and the Greenfield
Recorder on 3/9/2022
Continued from first column...
Regardless of the medium and subject matter chosen for creating a new artwork, I am involved with experimentation, invention, taking risks and seeking solutions these challenges present. Inspired by contemporary and modern artists who have developed ground breaking styles and imagery, I hope to leave behind a portfolio that encourages aspiring artists to cross the current boundaries of creative process.
Enjoyment and sharing of my work with family and friends is extremely important, but I have a passionate desire to take further action, to interact and earn acceptance and recognition with fellow artists, art critics, museum curators, and art organizations. It has been fulfilling to be juried into numerous and highly competitive exhibitions. My most significant artistic accomplishments to date include:
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My solo show in March 2022 at Anchor House of Artists in Northampton, Massachusetts titled “Healing • Awakening • Resolution”. I put my heart and soul into it, exhibiting more than 50 works. The opening reception was attended by over 100 people, and during the monthlong event, I continued to meet a number of artists and enthusiasts. My dedication to art in every conceivable way was firmly and irreversibly confirmed.
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Acceptance on September 27th 2023 into the Copley Society of Art located at 158 Newbury Street in Boston, MA. The Copley Society of Art, Co|So, is the oldest non-profit arts association in the United States, with a history dating back to 1879. They currently represent over 300 living artist members, ranging in experience from students to nationally-recognized artists and in style from traditional and academic realists to contemporary and abstract painters, photographers, and sculptors. The gallery hosts between 15 and 20 exhibitions each year, including solo exhibitions, thematic group shows, juried competitions, and fundraising events.
My work is simultaneously concerned with nature, the world that humankind has created, and the dilemma of balancing our existence within both. I create art because my soul demands it and craves meaningful purpose for our existence. It is a harsh critic, requiring solutions, new possibilities, competent execution and progress. There is much to learn and experience through art. My concentration of and fealty to nature in matters of the physical, spiritual, real and imaginary is a passion I live with. Numerous artists have inspired me, and I hope my work might return this favor in some way to others seeking the same.
Biography
I graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1972 with a degree in art. My early work consisted of woodcuts and drawings, and to some extent, painting in acrylic and oil. I became enchanted with what computers could do as a tool to augment and enhance my varying processes, and this also led to photography aided by graphic software.
With the explosion of information that became available on the internet, I have increased my knowledge of art history and artists throughout the world. I am greatly attracted to modern art, especially the work exhibited in New York City, Boston and recently the West Coast.
Since 2020 I have been juried into and participated in over 40 exhibitions throughout the United States. I had my first solo show in March 2022 at Anchor House of Artists in Northampton Massachusetts and was accepted as a full member to the Copley Society of Art in Boston on September 27, 2023.
Additional Notes
Numerous artists, with New York City, Boston and LA roots have had a profound influence on my own work*. Some of these artists include Georgiana Houghton, Henri Rousseau, Wassily Kandinsky, Arshile Gorky, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Mark Tobey, Louise Nevelson, Joseph Cornell, Leonard Baskin, Hyman Bloom, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Vanessa Prager, Chuck Close, Susan Te Kahurangi King, James Siena, Peter Linde Busk and Jim Morphesis.
At present my studio work in Sunderland is concentrated on mixed media. My latest compositions utilize acrylic paint, acrylic and other inks, acrylic gouache, acrylic mediums (including gels and pastes), acrylic resin fixatives, a variety of brushes and pens, and pencils (graphite and colored) on acrylic gesso primed hardboard panels. Recently I have included and explored collage techniques with select pieces.
In addition to mixed media I revived my woodcut printmaking, finalizing earlier work that had been put on hold. I have printed numerous editions at First Proof Press in Brattleboro, Vermont, working closely with the owner. As new work in this medium is a viable option, I look forward to this expansion in my overall art portfolio.
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*On the local scene, I would like to acknowledge three artists who have provided me with guidance, support, influence and inspiration over the years. They are Scott Prior, Will Sillin, and the late Greg Stone.
I am married to Jane and have two grown daughters, Elizabeth and Jillian.