David Knowles is a leading Contemporary Romantic Realist. He paints the bright intense light of New Zealand.
His Art is an integration of the clarity of this light with the beauty and power of the Romantic Realism idea.
David Knowles has been painting and exhibiting for thirty years. He won two awards of merit at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in 1979 and in 1980, and also has a painting in The National Portrait Collection housed at The Alexander Turnbull Library.
In the 1980's he became closely associated with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the result of this was a sell-out exhibition in Wellington and many wonderful figure studies.
He sells locally in galleries throughout New Zealand, and in the Quent Cordair Gallery in California.
His paintings feature in collections in New Zealand, Australia, the USA and England.
In December 2003 he was invited to show his paintings at the prestigious Biennial of International of Contemporary Art in the historic city of Florence in Italy.
David and his lovely wife Mary enjoyed two weeks in this cultural treasure centre, exchanging thoughts and ideas with artists and professional people who also attended the Biennial, from around the world.
In 2004 he was invited to exhibit in "The Modern Masters" exhibition at Fishers Fine Arts in Christchurch and Auckland.
In recent years he has completed several portrait commissions, and also has been involved in a major private commission project to copy exactly in scale and technique a series of Renaissance Masters.
He lives in rural Greytown overlooking the Waiohine River.
