Diane Knott
Diane Knott can't remember a time when she didn't want to be an artist. "Class artist" throughout grammar school, she attended college and studied both fine and advertising art in NJ. Although born in Olean, NY, where she spent her first 5 years, she grew up in NJ surrounded by centers of History and culture that have inspired her love of nostalgic themes. Her earlier years, in the home of her grandparents are the inspiration behind most of her kitchen and garden images. Today, she and husband, George, live in the beautiful Pennsylvania mountains in a small cottage overlooking lush hills and valleys, farms and woods. These views, her home and garden, and her growing years are a constant source of material for her ever-growing portfolio.
With two successful business ventures behind her, Knotts in Wood and The Pumpkin Basket needlework and picture framing shop, she is well acquainted with the wholesale and retail gift markets. Today, as a full-time artist painting in watercolors and acrylics, she has had her images produced on a variety of licensed products that continue to grow in number. While owning the needlework shop, Diane taught fancy embroidery stitches to her customers and it continues to be a relaxing hobby for her today. Diane has won several awards for her pen and ink drawings and often incorporates ink into her paintings. Diane began her career in art licensing in 1999 after realizing that the production work she was doing for their own wholesale business was much too limiting. Having so many more ideas than she could implement was frustrating. She wanted to be able to create designs for products that were beyond their own manufacturing capabilities.
Diane and George enjoy traveling to England, the Southwest, through the Finger Lakes Region of NY state and New England. Her plein-aire images of English cottages are among her favorites to paint. She is an avid photographer and when not painting, can usually be found with her nose in a book or her hands engaged in some form of needlework. She and George have two daughters, Holly and Danielle. Holly is an accomplished photographer, website designer and art quilter. Danielle, a talented singer, is currently an editor for a theological publishing company.