Biography Stephen Knapp was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1947, and received his B.A. from Hamilton College in 1969. His liberal arts education exposed him to many different disciplines with an emphasis on research, establishing a foundation for much of his work. For nearly a decade after graduating from college, Stephen worked as a fine art photographer, selling his work to corporate and private collectors in the United States and abroad. As his reputation grew he concentrated his energies exclusively on commissioned works, usually in collaboration with noted architects and interior designers. It was during this period that he developed the innovations that he is known for today, combining mediums and processing techniques and working with fabricators on an increasingly grand scale. During this stage in his career Stephen worked closely with Polaroid, on their 20x24 camera, creating large-scale instant photographs. At one point he found himself spending more time on camera than any other non-Polaroid employee. Soon, though, photography was not enough. Although he had pushed it experimentally - hand coloring black and white photomontages for massive enlargements, using computer printouts to make his own screens to form the basis of a giant silk-screen commission - he began to look more closely at permanent materials. Soon various types of ceramic, mosaic, metal, stone and glass began to fill his studio. Research into these materials for public art, constant experimentation, and making contact and working closely with craftsmen, fabricators and manufacturers from around the world became instrumental in the next phase of Stephen's career. His first forays outside of photography were still based on that medium, as he produced a dyed, etched anodized aluminum mural for Norton Company, the world's largest manufacturer of abrasives. Although totally abstract in nature, it was an allegory for the company's many parts, reflecting the in- depth research that is a hallmark of his work. Photo transfer techniques were used to define the images. Stephen used similar techniques to create one of the world's largest etched metal murals - a 14' x 72' piece for the Hamilton County Justice Complex in Cincinnati, with black and white images of the county blended as one, and then reproduced in etched aluminum, using new techniques developed for the commission. As the Cincinnati project was being developed, another opportunity arose which would ultimately take Stephen to Japan to create the world's largest glass glaze ceramic murals. Researching material for another major commission, he had come upon a factory in Japan that made huge photo-ceramic murals, a technique used by Robert Rauschenberg in the early 80s. The photo decal technique seemed tailor made for him, yet the more he explored the process, the more fascinated he became with a thick glass glaze - a crackle glaze - that had been developed for architecture. After consultation with the factory - the best in the world for large-scale ceramic murals - he learned that they had indeed used the glass glazes in some of their murals, but only for small accent details. This would be the first time they were used on such a large scale. With a sense of humility for the setting - one of the historic ceramic centers in Japan - paired with the opportunity to create something that had never been done before, Stephen began to work closely with the artisans in a small mountain village in Japan. Together they developed new colors and new techniques to make his vision a reality, producing three of the largest glass glaze ceramic murals in the world for USAA Federal Savings Bank. As the public appreciation of his work grew so did his comfort in working with diverse mediums. It was no surprise that the next opportunity to present itself was a collaboration with an architect in Boston to create a European style spa for the The Spa at the Heritage. A large ceramic mural was created as a backdrop for the pool and mosaic tile imagery was placed on the pool bottom. All of this could be viewed through an etched glass wall. Etched glass doors and walls complemented the etched stainless steel walls throughout the rest of the installation. A pattern was now forming of using the research for one project to enhance the next, so when it came time to create two large etched stainless steel murals for McDonnell Douglas’ Douglas Center in California, Stephen developed a new technique of mixing paints so they would change with the angle of light. With the resulting imagery, highlights on the wings of the planes seemed to glow as if catching the sun, and some planes seemed to shimmer in front of the "canvas" of stainless steel. The kinetic force of these murals lent a palpable energy to the work he wanted to create. An increasing fascination with light - a hallmark of his days as a fine art photographer - would soon lead him deeper into the world of glass. Kiln formed glass - the heating of glass to take on the shape of a form below, was to be his next major leap in mediums, an adventure that would occupy much of his time in the 90's. Stephen developed and worked on industrial techniques that would allow him to create tempered kiln formed art glass walls and doors that could be used in an architectural setting, resulting over the next decade in large installations for Brunswick Corporation, United Airlines, SPRINT, Harnischfeger Industries, and CAN Insurance Companies, among others. During the 90's Stephen started spending time on personal work, creating sculpture, furniture and lighting for a showcase entitled Fantasy in Glass, a unique exhibition he staged at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. This 5,000 square foot exhibit was designed to introduce architects and designers worldwide to the possibilities of kiln formed art glass. With his penchant for choosing the right materials for each new commission firmly in place, Stephen added carved marble to his repertoire for a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines installation. Asked to work on a theme of Greek and Roman exploration, he worked with artisans in Italy to create a series of "ruined" columns and steles, with hieroglyphs and faces, which held together a series of "fragments" of kiln formed glass. In the relief of the glass can be seen Greek and Roman temples, ships, and pieces of antiquity. Its companion piece brings into play other materials, with "fragments" of mosaic tile representing fifteenth century paintings of constellations, linked together by ribbons of stainless steel. This commission was so well received that a year or so later Stephen was back in Italy, producing two carved marble lions, contemporary interpretations of an Egyptian theme, for another Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines installation. His growing confidence in his ability to use various materials and techniques led him to incorporate glass and stainless steel in The Bird, an atrium piece commissioned by Harnischfeger Industries, which in turn led to the cabled Rainbow Harp for CNA Insurance Companies. An acknowledged expert in his field, Stephen frequently writes and lectures on architectural art glass, the collaborative process, and the integration of art and architecture. In 1998 he authored The Art of Glass, Rockport Publishers. The following year, his largest commission to date, at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, was installed. Ironically, with all of his work in glass, this consisted of ten murals, each 7' x 18', of carved slate and mosaic tile. Over four tons of slate were used in the project, which was designed to work on multiple levels. Although not usually considered a kinetic medium, the reflective quality of the slate makes it change constantly, so lighting was a major factor in this installation. Light played a lead role in his next major installation, a 17’ x 60’ sculptural light painting at the Worcester Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Searching for a solution for the back wall of a 240' long five-story atrium, Stephen mounted thirty-eight shaped and polished pieces of glass on the wall, with eighteen 1000W spots shining through the glass, creating an overlapping series of colored shadows. Computerized lighting changes every hour, casting different colored shadows and shapes on the wall, creating a new piece of art hourly. The rest of 2000 saw each of these mediums used in major commissions - kiln formed glass, glass, and carved slate and mosaic tile. Two public art installations chosen by national competitions took different directions. For the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee, Knapp used carved slate and mosaic tile for four building installations, while for the Sam Nunn Federal Center in Atlanta, he produced incredibly detailed kiln formed art glass walls. 2001 started with a commission which would change his focus once again. Women and Babies Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, contacted him after a nationwide search and asked for a stained glass ceiling. Instead, Knapp took the lightpainting techniques he had used at the Worcester Medical Center a step further. “Stories from Light,” a glass and stainless steel light sculpture stretched the boundaries of light as art, and was to lead to his first intricate lightpainting. At the same time, though, the call for his kiln formed glass walls was strong, with public, corporate and private commissions in Pasadena, Chicago, Lincoln, Nebraska, and Worcester, Massachusetts. “The Crystal Quilt” at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, was chosen as the result of a national competition, and is the largest, most detailed kiln formed art glass wall in the world. His work for the Worcester Public Library has the same level of detail, only on a slightly smaller scale. During 2001 he spent time in Germany at the Derix GlasStudios, working on a private commission in Chicago. 2002 was equally busy, with time spent between kiln formed glass commissions and lightpaintings. For the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes, Stephen created a light painting, a light sculpture, and a kiln formed glass wall. His first private lightpainting was installed at the Krulewski residence in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This was followed shortly thereafter with “Quattuordecim – The One Light” at the Gallery of the American Bible Society in New York. For this "Reflection on Glass" exhibit, he also traveled to Munich to work with the Franz Mayer of Munich studio on an enameled glass panel. Rounding out the year, a major kiln formed glass entry was installed at the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit. In 2003 Stephen Knapp's lightpaintings began to get major public exposure, with installations at ARTForm Palm Beach, Art Chicago, SOFA New York, Art Santa Fe, The International Art + Design Fair, The LA Art Show, and SOFA Chicago. Throughout Stephen Knapp's career there have been constants - a passion for his art, a curiosity for the new, a continuing research into materials, and a commitment to the techniques and processes involved in executing his ideas.