Artist Focus: Anna Knights

Anna Knights’ close-up botanical watercolours have an immediacy and vitality that transcend tradition. Her highly detailed paintings are a striking blend of vibrancy, sensuality and skilful composition.Each one takes several weeks to paint, as Anna layers up the watercolour to achieve a realistic depth of colour and solidity of form.

Anna is entirely self taught. She enjoyed art as a child but it was only in 2006, at the age of 25, that she discovered an innate talent for botanical painting.  18 months later Anna won an RHS Gold Medal and Best in Show award.

Since then Anna’s fresh style has proved popular and her painting career has blossomed. Anna exhibits regularly at the Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace Flower Shows and her work is now held in the Shirley Sherwood and RHS Lindley Library collections.In 2010 Anna was commissioned by celebrated rose breeder David Austin Roses to produce their first ever limited edition print.Anna also teaches relaxed and enjoyable watercolour classes where she shares the technique she has developed herself. 

Anna Knights is one of the 14 finalists in the Surrey Artist of the Year 2010 Exhibition, on show at the New Ashgate Gallery from Friday 10 September - Thursday 7 October.