Michael Knapp

Artist Statement

Artistic Philosophy: I combine unusual and unrelated objects in a collage style so that they tell a different story. The sum is greater than the parts.

I usually use objects or people from the Mid 20th century to create a nostalgic "history lesson" of sorts. Bright, pure colors are used throughout the works to form an "unreal" reality on each canvas.

I often times use optical patterns for backgrounds to help create a genre I call "Pop-Op". My works are all the exact same size. When shown together the uniform dimensions of each canvas offers a bit of stability and order into the chaos created by the imagery on the canvas.

I believe it is the task of art to tell stories while also providing a visual feast. A story with out the visuals is a book, and the visuals without the story is just something to look at. Combine them and you have magic.

Biography

Michael Knapp 1956 present

Tampa native. Studied at HCC under Steve Holm and USF under Theo Wujcik.
Primary discipline: Painter
Current Medium: Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
Former advertising artist for large supermarket chain, sign painter and free-lance artist, museum exhibit designer, set painter and current resident artist for Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida.

I've been painting since I was a small child. My parents noticed that the cereal box characters I copied actually looked like the characters and encouraged me to pursue art as a vocation. I went to a vocational high school and graduated with a certificate in their commercial art program. After graduation I soon realized that the commercial world was far too restrictive for me and that all too often others would dictate the outcome of the work so I moved on to fine art.

During the time I was honing my fine art chops I used my commercial art training to make a living doing a multitude of art related things all the time knowing that being artistically independent was the final goal.

Finally, at 65 years of age, I have achieved it.

Exhibition History (CV)