Work
Karen Knuff
Karen Knuff
BIOGRAPHY
My painting journey began about 3 1/2 years ago. I have a Corgi, and someone I had just met, also had a Corgi, which was very exciting for both of us! As a result of our dogs, we became friends that same week.
Unfortunately, I found out that she and her family were moving across the country in 3 weeks! However, this event took me down a path that I never, ever thought I would go! We both had a love for gardening, and since she was moving, she started gifting me with plants, 30 to be exact! She also gave me 3 frogs that were sitting on lily pads and rocks. They were covered in yucky algae…ugly!!
AH HA!
I had an idea… maybe I could paint them to make them look better. Coming from me, this was extremely bizarre comment!! I hadn’t ever, ever painted anything successfully, nor had I ever wanted to. But for some reason, I found that I wanted to. I was amazed at how they turned out. Who knew I could be so creative??
Not me, thats for sure! I painted my neighbour’s statues as well. I loved painting them, so much, that I bought an 11″ owl to paint at a thrift store. Google became my best friend, looking for reference pictures and I carefully painted it. When I finished, I couldn’t believe that I could paint so well.
THE PIVOT
My next comment, was pivotal!! “I bet I could paint a picture!”
I didn’t feel anxious, I was excited to see what would happen. So, I practiced on small paintings and I was happy with them. Without watching any tutorials, I painted a very detailed dog. To my utter amazement, I finished the painting in just 7 hours! It looked fantastic!! “Who painted this?”, became my query after I finished a painting!
I discovered that when I’m painting, I no longer feel depressed. I’ve struggled with depression for years. This definitely was the miracle that I desperately needed in my life! When I paint, my depression simply evaporates into thin air for that day.
Where did my creative talent come from? I know that this is God’s gift to me, and what a gift! Similarily, my father, my aunt, and my grandmother were all artists.
I have an art studio in my home in Maple Ridge, BC where I live, and where I paint my pictures.
When I first began painting, my focus was painting dog portraits. Most of my life has revolved around dogs, so it seemed a natural progression. I found myself painting dog and cat memorial portraits. I gave them all away, because, above all, I know what it feels like to lose my precious dogs. It was so worth it! The emotion and tears made the gift special for both of us.
THE FOCUS
My focus on dogs shifted because I didn’t have any more subjects to paint! Meanwhile, I wanted to have my style. So I’ve been painting varied subjects and now I think my style is doing what I’ve been doing. My learning curve is high!
I’ve learned not to say “I can’t do this,” and “this isn’t easy to do”. Consequently, I switch it up with “I CAN do this!”
I’m always learning. Thank you Google! Every new painting is a new challenge that I embrace and I’m always excited to begin! I look for that extraordinary out of the box picture because I want people to be curious and intriqued.
Using acrylics, I paint in great detail. My plan for the future, is to step out of my comfort zone to paint something truly different. I would like to learn how to hide dogs (of course) in all my paintings! To sum it up, I’m excited to get started, because I know it’s going to fun!