"Once you've seen my pears, you may not again look at a Bartlett or a D'Anjou in the same way," comments Phoenix, Arizona, painter Ruth Knowles. Texture, color and scale dominate her work.
Ruth grew up in a small Indiana town, free to explore nature and to nurture her love of drawing, painting, craft making and reading. She won her first art award in eighth grade. After graduating from Indiana State University in Terre Haute with a B.S. in art and journalism and an M.A. in English, Ruth married and moved to Phoenix. There she raised two sons and taught high school and college English as well as high school art. Ruth then retired to begin her second career as a full-time painter, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
Using transparent liquid acrylics, Ruth begins each canvas with pours and washes. She then layers, stamps with original blocks and natural materials, and incorporates parts of her favorite authors' work. "I sketch out each painting, turn on Bach, Chopin, Haydn or Vivaldi, and begin. The titles come to me midway through each piece and control the final results." A new granddaughter now brings new influences.
Ruth's paintings continue to receive national recognition.