About the Artist

Until the day we arrive in Heaven, it is here that I paint Heaven on earth.

 

ABOUT ME

 

 

Born from the third generation of professional artists I was surrounded by great artists in my own family.

 

I was introduced to art by my aunt, who taught me paint in styles of the old masters.

 

I was raised in Sun Valley, Idaho, the youngest of four daughters. I enjoyed riding horses in the Rocky Mountain Trails in summer, and downhill skiing in winter. Spectacular beauty of the mountains, and harsh wilderness of the Gem State strongly affected me as an artist.

 

Horses are my passion. I raised them, and trained them for dressage and for jumping. While in high school, I worked part time at the Sun Valley Stables, and as a veterinary assistant. That allowed me to support myself, and to be close to my beloved animals.

 

I began my formal artist education at Northwest College in Wyoming, and at Idaho State University in Boise. Later I moved to California, and enrolled to ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. There I met my future husband Chuck, who was at this time a graduate student of astrophysics at Caltech.

 

After college we both got jobs at Hughes Aircraft, and later started our own high-tech company. Our jobs required lots of international travel, so I visited the world from Europe to as far as Japan.

 

These were good times. Our wonderful son was born, so I got very busy raising him. But I always found time to paint, ride horses, and hone my artistic skills at Watts Atelier in Encinitas.

 

Unfortunately, in 2003, my horse Carlos (on the picture above), an Olympic dressage champion, fell on me. I was badly injured and lost my memory. My memories slowly came back, but I have not been able to walk without a cane since.

 

Then another tragedy struck. In the hot summer of 2012, my husband died of heart failure while jogging. He had invested all our personal funds in his new business, and I was left with nothing but a car, and a small life insurance policy. I sold all my belongings, and moved to Challis, Idaho, where my parents and sister then lived. I opened a small art institute on city's main street. I was teaching art there, and showing and selling mine, and other local artists' works.

 

A job opportunity brought me back to California. There I met my current life partner, Jaroslaw. An engineer from Poland, who managed to escape a communist "paradise" back in the eighties. We now live in Laguna Hills, CA.

 

With his help I managed to realize my lifelong dream - my own art gallery and atelier. I opened it at Laguna Hills Mall. It was a great place. I run the gallery until the mall was shut down about the same time COVID hit.
To learn more about it go to my other website lisamcknettgallery.com and click "History" tab on the page menu.

 

 

We are both retired now, but it does not mean we do nothing. I still paint. He builds our websites, and spoils Sheldon, our dog. We are currently working on launching our online start-up Famous Artists Track. It is a web service to connect artists with local communities, collectors, galleries, and any potential art buyers. It is also a new way for the artists to scale themselves through online competitions judged only by other artists, and artists commenting on each other's artwork.

 

 

 Education

Art Center College of Design 1977-1980 Illustration

UCLA, Boise Idaho State University,1976-77 Fine Art/Illustration

Northwest College Powell WY 1974-1975 studying Western Art

California Art Institute 1990 -1999 Fine Art/ Illustration Plein Air

Watts Atelier 1999-2010 Fine Art Plein air
Ned Mueller Fine Art Plein Air 2011-2012

 

Organization and shows

Cal Art Club 1999 -Present

American Impressionist Society member 2018 - present

California Art Club 1992 - current artist member

Outdoor Painter's Society - current artist member

Plein Air Southwest - current artist member

A National Arts for the Parks Salute

 

Grand 1st Prize Cover Art Iberian National Olympic Horse Show Ft Meyer Texas Nov 2019

First Place Devon International Horse Show Association cover art for 2020

Artist Member

Laguna Plein Air Painters of America Laguna, CA / October 2009 - 2019

Laguna Plein Air 2016- 2021 online show and member 

Greenhouse Fine Art 2015

Juried shows

6 x 6 inch Squared, Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA / , December 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020
Oil Painters of America Western Regional Competition / 2004, 2012
Art Walk West Lake Village California 1992-1999

Art Walk Thousand Oaks CA 1992

First Place Calendar show West Lake Art Guild 1990

First Place Fine Art Gallery Art Center College of Design 1980

Lisa McKnett Gallery, Laguna Hills CA 2015- 2018