When creating art in any form, there is always a tale behind it. How did the makers become drawn to the arts? What inspires their work as they live their lives? What do they look for in materials to create their pieces? Whether painting a canvas or chipping stone, an artist’s story is always a story worth telling, and Nancy Knight is no exception.
The story behind Knight’s art career is rather simple: She took a childhood passion and turned it into a paying career. Her affinity for art began with her grandfather, whom she considered a professional artist even though he was self-taught. He specialized in pen-and-ink pieces, as well as watercolor and oil paintings. His work, unlike his granddaughter’s, was far more realistic.
“His interpretation was more reality than mine,” Knight said.
Unlike her grandfather, Knight chose watercolor as her one and only medium. In fact, her unique style and inspiration is founded on how watercolors flow onto the canvases. Instead of controlling where the paint goes, she lets the watercolors go their own direction. This process highlights her attraction to the theme and also makes art relaxing for her. With other paint mediums, she can’t relate the theme in a way that screams, “This is me!” When she tried to paint realistically like her grandfather, it stressed her out.
The theme she chooses for most of her work is nature. When it came to choosing a theme, it was all about what excited and intrigued her.
“Everything about nature is beautiful to me,” Knight said. “When I am not in love with my subject, I can’t do it justice; it really comes through in the results of my painting.
Photo provided by Nancy Knight.
Knight couldn’t calculate how long it took her to create her personal style. Over the years, the urge to paint didn’t come often enough to call it her inner-calling. At times, it would be years before Knight again took up her brush. How her style developed is more describable. It was only when she broke through the walls of conformity that her art truly began to be “her art.”
“My style only really developed when I stopped taking local art classes and stopped reading the watercolor instruction books. I had to start thinking on my own rather than following the lesson ‘rules,’” Knight said.
Going beyond societal constraints made art fun and liberating for Knight. Since then, her work has continually evolved as she is always learning and trying new concepts. She describes her art as an ongoing process.
At first, Knight painted merely for recreation and personal pleasure. That is until she found etsy.com, a website where artists can show and sell their work. With this site, Knight unlocked a new perspective of what it means to be an artist. Emails from customers pushed her to explore different themes. Being a part of etsy.com has Knight enjoying art more than ever before.
Interested in seeing more of Knight’s work? Click this link!
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