Joseph Knowles was born in Santa Barbara, the son of two artists. He received BA and B Architecture degrees from Stanford University, with minors in art and engineering. After college, he pursued a career in architecture, working for many years with the well-known Santa Barbara architect, Lutah Maria Riggs, F.A.I.A. In the late 1960s, he entered the US Army and served in Vietnam. His art has been represented in one-person and group shows in Santa Barbara as well as in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The major part of Mr. Knowles work has been on paper, in pastel, oil, watercolor and ink. As an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, he has focused in recent years on work which also relates to his Indian heritage, including the extensive "Bison Series" of iconic buffalo images. Mr. Knowles lives on a small horse ranch and vineyard in Santa Ynez with his wife, Penny Knowles, who is the Executive Director of the Wildling Art Museum in Los Olivos.
