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HOLLY THE ARTIST
Holly
Knowles was interested in art her entire life, excelling at stained glass and
charcoal sketching before turning to painting. She studied with
some of
As a member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, Holly's award-winning stained glass has been seen in Concord, Durham and Exeter, NH, the NH Institute of Art, the Haverhill Arts Association, and in numerous private collections throughout New England. An ornament she made was hung on a Christmas tree at the White House.
Holly lived in Fremont, NH where she taught art to a select number of private and semi-private students.
As the picture to the right will attest, Holly's joy for her work transferred itself frequently into a fine sense of humor. Here she exhibits her passion for plein air painting.
ART CLASSES
Classes were either private or semi-private in order to offer every student the advantage of Holly's fun and fundamental one-on-one attention.
HELPING OTHERS Giving back. It's something we all are the better for doing, and Holly is a great example to follow. Some give money, others give time, still others donate goods and services - all for the benefit of people and or organizations who help others.
Holly's method of giving back was tied into her artwork. A portion of the proceeds from her paintings has been donated to E.P.O.N.A. (pronounced ee-poe-na; Equine Protection of North America), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Epping, New Hampshire.
Holly also donated her time and artistic talents at Leddy Center for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which is also located in Epping, New Hampshire. She helped to create scenic backdrops that are works of art in their own right and which have awed and delighted thousands of theater-goers.
As a volunteer for Wendell's Wish Therapeutic Riding Program, a non-profit based in Epping, NH, which uses both the relationship with the horse, and the physicality of riding the horse, to help strengthen and empower people with disabilities, Holly found the perfect fit for her passion and compassion for animals and humans alike. A scholarship fund was started in Holly's memory with this remarkable organization and an art-based fundraiser was instrumental in raising approximately $2,500.00 for the Holly Knowles Scholarship Fund.
HOLLY THE WOMAN
Holly is the mother of two amazing and
beautiful girls, Jocelyn (back right in picture at bottom right) who is a
graduate of Brandeis University, and Lauren (same picture; back left) who
Holly was an accomplished guitar player and a beginner piano player who wrote many beautiful songs. Her pure alto voice was sometimes heard on stage in musical theater productions! A late-blooming actress, Holly tackled the challenge of memorization and choreography with the same determination she applied to everything in her life. Fellow cast members and audiences were fortunate to enjoy her presence in Guys and Dolls (2003; as Agatha, with the Salvation Army), A Gift of Song (2003; as a singer and guitarist), Jekyll & Hyde the Musical (2004; as a prostitute! she wore her corset with pride!), A Christmas Carol (2005 & 2 006; as Scrooge's charwoman), The House at Pooh Corner (2005; as "Them"), The Music Man (2006; as one of the ditzy town busy-bodies) and Oliver! (2007), which was the final production she participated in as the hilariously macabre Mrs. Sowerberry.
Holly was a nature lover. She loved everything about nature; found it fascinating and therapeutic (she talked to frogs and trees and loved all creatures great and small) and inspirational. She could often be found fishing, kayaking, hiking, hitting golf balls with Dave, skiing with her family, roving the countryside in her Jeep and walking with her dogs and best buddies Charly (who passed away at a ripe old age in June of 2007) and Sirus on good days. In the event of a rainstorm, she'd be the first one standing in a puddle (with or without her rubber boots!), arms spread wide and face raised to the sky as she laughed out loud.
Holly passed away on December 12, 2007, nine days before her fifty-third birthday, following a heroic, nearly two-decade-long battle with cancer. During the transition from her disease-ravaged physical body, Holly was assisted by a Reiki master who shared that, at Holly's passing, she felt an indescribable joy as Holly's spirit was at last set free. To say that we miss her is an enormously vast understatement, but we treasure and cherish the memories we forged with her and count ourselves blessed - and better - people for having known her. She was a woman of very strong faith, and we feel strongly that she is nearby, comforting us with her unrestricted presence from her enlightened view ... Holly and Dave in front; Lauren and Jocie in back. Holly's surprise 50th birthday party. |
the finest artists in the country and actively
painted for over sixteen years;
her passion was portraiture.
Holly
taught everything from basic art to advanced oil painting to her students, and
went to great lengths to help her students understand whatever medium they
were working with. A student as well as a teacher, Holly constantly
advanced her own education in order to better suit the needs of her students.
is
a graduate of University of
New Hampshire. She was married to her beloved husband David (see picture
below), her high school sweetheart, for thirty-three years.
