Brooke Walker-Knoblich

The first time I painted with oils I knew this is what I was meant to do the rest of my life. Everything about oil paint resonates with me. As a person who relishes corporeal experiences,the olfactory delight of linseed oil and the visual richness of glistening pigments intoxicates me. As an artist who approaches the easel with only a silhouette of an idea, the range of oil paint--
from translucent glazes to opaque, juicy passages--inspires the spontaneity and experimentation that is so essential to my creative process. When paint stays wet for several days, anything becomes possible. Brushstrokes can be manipulated, scraped off, or remixed into new colors. In this flexible state, art becomes more present, more capable of capturing the subtle changes of mood and emotion. Oil painting makes me fearless in this knowing. Oil painting brings me closer to myself.

Classically trained in Europe. Formal studies include: Master Copy Program in the Louvre Museum; Painting the live figure in oil at the Florence Academy of Art; Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, UCSD. Independent studies include: workshops with master artists Ruo Li, Suchitra Bhosle, and Michael Siegel; weekly studio sessions with Earl Boley, the Mahony Group, and Debbie Gualco. Raised in Northern California, began career as a fine artist in the Sacramento Valley. Currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

2015. "6 Squared" Juried Group Show, Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA

2015 "Where the Wild Things Are," Juried Group Show, Sacramento Fine Arts Center, Carmichael, CA

2014 "Annual Crocker Fine Art Auction," Crocker Museum, Sacramento, CA

2014 “Valona Paint Out,” Juried Group Show Epperson Gallery, Valona, CA

2014 Award of Merit. “Inner Views,” Juried Group Show Sacramento Fine Arts Center, Carmichael, CA

2014 “Expressions West,” National Juried Exhibition, Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR

2014 “Retrospective: A Decade of Oils,” Solo Show Capital Art Works Studio & Gallery, Sacramento, CA

2013. “KVIE Art Auction,” Juried Group Show and Auction Benefit, Sacramento, CA

2013 “Magic of Music,” Sacramento Youth Symphony benefit, Scottish Rite Center, Sacramento, CA

2013 “Alla Prima,” Solo Show, Tim Collom Gallery, Sacramento, CA

2012 Award of Merit. California State Fair, Sacramento, CA

2012 “Painting the Present,” Solo Show, Union Hall Gallery, Sacramento, CA

2012 “Musicians of Midtown,” Solo Show, Twenty-One-Ten Gallery, Sacramento, CA

2011 “Portraits of Place,” Solo Show. International House, Davis, CA

2011 “Chasing the Light,” Solo Show. MAIYA Gallery, Sacramento, CA

2010 "Streets of Midt...