"Rising Phoenix" Painting

As a young boy with a curious mind, he recalls his first encounter with the enchantment of art as a fortunate stroke of serendipity.

He stood captivated and in awe of the multiplicity of designs oozing out before him, from white, to blue, green to grey shapes and colours moved before his eyes and as the paint dried it captured a movement of a second – a moment of life – never to be repeated again.

Soon painting to him became a way of life, it was more than a just a form of expression it became his voice, his eyes his ears, his smell, his sense of direction. For hours at a time he would sit at the edge of his bed, pensive, quietly concentrating on perfecting a process of painting he wished to master.

It was a summer’s evening and I had just finished painting a much loved piece, I however decided to be bold and adventurous. I wanted to grow my technique into something organic and original. Having grown up in the sub-tropical climate of Kwa-Zulu Natal, summer months were mostly accompanied with tropical thundershowers.

It was on a rainy summers evening, such as this, that I decided to plant my much loved piece outside in the rain. As the morning sun greeted my eyes the next day, I woke up with the lingering thought of my art piece that had been left out in the night rain. I belted out of bed and rushed out the backdoor to find my art piece still planted next to the shed. Before me existed forms, hues and textures that I had never seen before, I was ecstatic with what the rain had created! I decided to draw inspiration from the uniqueness before me and this was the start of how my technique developed.

Today Sean Knipe artworks can be found donning the homes of both local and international buyers, there is no doubt that this artist with over 20 years of experience and a degree in Graphic Design from the Technical University of Kwa-Zulu Natal is making waves in the world of contemporary art.

His works have been described as that which conjures up feelings of growth, reflection, depth and synergy. This certainly resonates with the artist desire to create “art that moves you.”

As an artist he draws his inspiration from nature, exotic fish and the rich tastes and textures of gourmet food. His greatest inspiration is however the freedom he experiences when taking to canvas. His greatest desire is that every viewer of his art experiences a sense of freedom and is internally and infallibly moved when observing his works of art.