ArTIST bio

Tom Knapp has been working in clay for almost 50 years, following a successful career in commercial art and animation for Walt Disney. Knapp was born on a ranch in Powder River, Wyoming. He was surrounded by the majesty of nature and early on became an avid student of Western history.

Mr. Knapp painstakingly researches each new subject, including traveling to Native American ceremonials where he conducts interviews, studies and sketches. His pieces range in size from delightful miniatures of barnyard animals to life-size renditions of endangered species such as the Galapagos tortoise. Knapp is particularly well known for several series on ceremonial dancers, including figures from various Pueblo tribes as well as the Navajo, Hopi, Lakota and Oglala Sioux.

Tom Knapp’s sculptures are in museum, corporate and private collections worldwide. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art, 1977-78, Who’s Who in the West, 1978 and Who’s Who in America. He currently makes his home in Mexico with his wife Dorothy Bell Knapp, a painter.