Stephen Knapp paints with light. Using a single halogen bulb and sheets of kiln-formed glass, the Massachusetts-based artist has been working with light for 30 years, creating ethereal paintings by refracting light to a desired wavelength.
With no formal education in art or physics, Knapp, 69, moved into "lightpainting" after experimenting with photography. "I was really intrigued by the way I could do incredible textured detail in a way that no one had ever done before," he explains. "I physically manipulate the light to paint on the wall."
Knapp often works collaboratively with materials manufacturers, using halogen lights and dichroic glass laminated in a vacuum chamber with a layer of metallic coating to create his installations. He begins with a piece of glass that will be cut, shaped and polished. Next, he attaches stainless-steel brackets into the wall and affixes the light sources, followed by the glass.
The challenge comes in balancing the correct light transmission intended for the piece with the unavoidable reflections, as colour will change with the angle. Other than that, years of practice have given Knapp the tools he needs. "It's not as complex as it looks," he says. "The most challenging part is creating it." Everything is mapped out on a full-size template with level lines, so if the piece ever has to be transported, its angles and positions are documented.
Knapp is now working on an exhibition at the Art & History Museums in Maitland, Florida, after completing new pieces The Poet's Walk and The Finished Unfinished. "It's been a long process," he says. "Despite patting itself on the back for being very hip, the art world has specific themes where I don't fit."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
