Katherine Knapp

Experience for Experience's Sake

I grew up an isolated child of preoccupied parents in a hilly, tree-lined, Pittsburgh neighborhood watching the slow death of the steel mill era. I was an incredibly visual child, able to sit and be perfectly entertained for long periods in the backyard looking at tree branches, birds, and people walking by. As a result, my work often has a voyeuristic feel, as if the viewer is lingering nearby, full of love and longing, but not really a part of things, creating an exquisite feeling of nostalgia, not for the past, but for what's happening right in front of you.


I start with a loose gestural drawing in charcoal to work out the composition on the canvas. I then bring in color, changing things often until I see what I like. I like to watch the struggle to find the piece play out on the canvas. I feel it adds history, strength, and complexity to the final work.

In the end, what I hope, is to both connect with the viewer and offer the viewer their own private connection with the art.

Knapp began her education with an undergraduate degree in Russian Literature and Fine Art. This led to working in the nonprofit sector supporting Russian artists and later spending a year hanging out with artists and collectors in Moscow going to openings, theater, and concerts almost every night and translating exhibition catalogues and articles for them during the day. She returned to school for an M.A. in Russian Studies and an M.F.A. in creative writing, after which she worked in Ukraine reorganizing collective farms into private businesses and wrote a novel about Russian artists in Moscow.

Vjosa Art Gallery, Chicago, August, 2026

The Other Art Fair, Chicago, April, 2026

West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Expo, Chicago. October, 2025

Evanston Art Center, Chicago. Group Show, April 19-May 25, 2025

Zhou B Art Center, Chicago. Group show, March 21-May 9, 2025

West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Expo, Chicago. February, 2025

Chicago Cultural Center. Group show, Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists. 2024

Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, Members Show, Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists. 2023

Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicago. Group show, Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists. 2022

Edgewater Arts Festival, Chicago. 2021

Aartwerk Studio, Chicago. Group show. 2019