* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Jennifer Knaus received a BFA from San Francisco Art Institute in 1985 and an MFA from University of California, Davis, in 1992.
Her work combines female iconography with still life painting. Knaus describes her influences as ranging from art history and her back yard to the salad bar at Stop and Shop and retro kitsch.
She is enamored with the Surrealist idea of delving into the “human subconscious” for inspiration. Likewise, she describes her ideas as originating from herself or her friends.
Knaus aims to portray an alternative hierarchy of power and beauty in her paintings. She embellishes each one with humorous or absurd elements, and details that suggest a mysterious and atmospheric narrative.
Her work has been exhibited across the East Coast.
