West Chester painter exhibits in 2 worlds
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sunday, December 10, 1995

Story by Catherine Quillman, Photography by Bob Williams,

WEST CHESTER -- Painter Gwenn Knapp envisions a world where people can wander effortlessly through the labyrinthine rooms of a gallery and see an array of art work that changes daily, even hourly.

It's only a dream, and yet it's very much in the realm of possibility for Knapp, a painter who makes her living as a freelance graphic designer. A year ago, Knapp, 49, found a new way to display her work. She created her own home page on the World Wide Web.

It comes complete with reproductions of Knapp's original oil paintings. Hanging on the wall of one "gallery," for example, are paintings of West Chester gardens, area landscapes, and still lifes of fruit beautifully rendered in traditional settings, with shiny bowls and glossy drapery.

Knapp also exhibits those same paintings the old-fashioned way, in a real gallery. A solo exhibit of her work opened last week in a new gallery and frame shop in West Chester, The Crafty Framer.

"I love to paint," Knapp said recently, explaining why she isn't planning to trade in her brushes for a computer stylus and mouse.

"I find that I get so absorbed in painting, it's almost like meditation.... Of course, there is also a strain in getting to those magic moments. But I've always thrived on challenge."

Knapp spoke recently at her West Chester home, which she shared, she said, with a "dog, a cat, fish, and three teens."

Creating a Web site, Knapp said, has forced her to think about her life. Indeed, Knapp came up with her site name, MOTTASIA, after considering how to summarize her interests and priorities. It's an acronym for Mother of Three Teens Achieving Success in Art.

While Knapp, a former art director at a computer magazine, has worked with computers for many years, she remembers when she considered the Web a "scary" place.

"Some people are a little hesitant about learning about the Web because they don't feel comfortable about computers," said Knapp. "But the Web is not so much about computers as it is about telephone. It's really a communication tool."

Included on Knapp's home page are files unrelated to art. They are there simply to have fun and to make the site more interactive. The file "My Three Teens," for instance, offers graphics of Knapp's sons and advice on such teen topics as how to maintain a Mohawk haircut. (Use Elmer's Glue and Knox gelatin, Knapp advises.)

Several portraits are among the works Knapp displays in her new exhibit at the gallery. Commissioned by local residents, the portraits are painted with vivid, electric colors. They are filled with objects and symbols reflecting the interests of the sitters, who are typically shown smiling, as if recalling a private joke. The backgrounds are so lush and fantastic, the paintings look computer-generated. But they are real oil paintings.

"My portraits are based, actually, a lot on the psychology of sales and the importance of visualizing," Knapp said.

As an example, she noted a portrait of a smiling couple on a beach. It's an ordinary scene, except for a tiny angel shown in mid-flight above the couple's heads. "They are showing what people like about themselves and their interests. It supports who they are."

Profile, and Self Portrait

Capturing an essence in oils -- The Daily Local News