Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Kathy Knopp, on air from June 6th

I have always considered myself an artist.  Ever since childhood.  I began painting at the age of 10.  My Father always encouraged my art ambition.  It was a rough beginning for me however as I was about to be put into an orphanage and my adopted Father came along and took me in …I had 4 brothers and a sister at the time that I thought were my family.  Three of my brothers were shuffled off to a place called “Boys Town” in Nebraska, which I don’t remember much only them being taken away from me. 

I got into this new home with a wicked step mother who hated me and this took on a whole new scenario for me.  I read a lot and stayed to myself to stay away from her and my new adopted Father was gone a lot so art was my go to.  I was able to loose myself in my art and keep my mind going learning about the masters in impressionism. 

I don’t like to keep focusing on the past, so just know that the circumstances were difficult and had to endure a lot of pain being separated from a family that wasn’t all together to begin with and a new environment of love and hate combined.  I endured and got to go to good schools and had clothes and good food to eat, but not a whole lot of enduring love except from my New Daddy who when he was around embraced my talents.

Moving forward to later details as I had spend some 10 years with this situation and after finishing high school I was accepted into a very fine art school.  My ambition was to attend the Ringling School of Art in Florida.  My Dad had friends who would have let me stay with them while I attended the school. 

Well, things don’t always work out the way we want in life.  One thing was this was back in the late 60’s and things aren’t always planned back then.  My Dad lived large and had lots going on with his business and boats and cars and other priorities.  He didn’t think he was ever going to have health issues although he had diabetes and was a large man.  His wife made sure I was never to have anything, only to find this out after he suffered a massive coronary and died. 

My confusion only started then.  Much has become clearer in my later years now and I was left penniless and had to find another home at the age of 18 and live with room mates I didn’t even know.  I really don’t know how I made it except I know my art kept me going.  I took classes at the local museum in my town and was working for a dentist at which I became good at.  Many things were very difficult and I knew I didn’t want to be around the women who betrayed me with hate and just did everything on my own.  My dreams were crushed at the time, I was about to lose my car my Dad sold to me which was a 65 Mustang as the credit life my Dad told me was on the car was not and she took that too.  I had to refinance my car to keep it as I had to work. 

Many obstacles were put in my path.  Again my art kept me going and I worked also, sewed my own clothes and kept going.  I painted and sold any paintings so I could to make extra money on the side.

What was very devastating became a lifelong quest to make my life better.  I worked many jobs.  I ended up marrying a man like my “childhood” as all I knew and it worked out for a while, we lived in Chicago, and I kept working and attaining many different jobs with better pay each time.  We divorced after almost 9 years, and moving to Atlanta was the highlight of my life to get away from the cold tundra of the North!

There are a lot of details in between I would rather not go into as it is very painful.  The past makes us for the future, and I would prefer to hit only the highlights to be useful to others who feel they cannot go forward.   Sometimes, our disappointments turn into treasures that we cannot understand until we are older and see the path set before us.

My job experiences were aplenty, and I did attend college here and there, so my experiences helped me attain a job selling lighting for a large lighting company. This became my home and this was my family for over 23 years and I attained the highest level in lighting as a CLC, and also top 3 level in sales worked with designers, architects, builders and electricians and kept up my art along the way all the with the notion that someday I will be able to “just be an artist” and do what I love the most.

I found a man that enjoyed the same things I did, we met sailing as that was one of my fondest past times and decided to get married.  We both enjoy art as he is a fine photographer, and we both have very different opinions, but we get along and have been married now 24 years!  He helps me do what I love and continues to encourage and help me with the photo end along with his art, we are a great team working to fulfill our dreams of me with my oil painting and him with his birefringence art designs, which are quite beautiful with oil and water and digital images.

I hope this gives you something to understand my passion with the arts is my love and keeps me going.  I do believe I am here by the grace of God, and what to make sure that is understood as I love his unending love for me to keep going.

Wellstar Patient Thanks Her Care Team with Original Artwork

BUY KATHYS GREETING CARDS HERE

http://kathy-knopp.pixels.com

https://kathy-knopp.pixels.com/art

allpawsunique@gmail.com

ww.instagram.com/kathyknopp

twitter.com/comknopp

www.facebook.com/artsytime

linkedin.com/in/kathy-knopp

https://twitter.com/comknopp

www.pinterest.com/ideas for the house

www.pinterest.com/allpawunique

alignable.com/marietta-ga/klk-Lighting-Design-LLC

Wellstar Patient 

Her Care Team with Original Artwork

www.alignable.com

Member (BAG) Booth Artists Guild

Member of the acworthartsalliance.com

pinterest also

cell: 678-595-7951. (Georgia USA)

Kathy did a portrait of my dog Kokomo for me, it melts my heart, thank you Kathy.

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