Anne Knapp wears the work

Photo: Neighbors of the Wasatch Back // Deb Dekoff.

For Park City High School sophomore Anne Knapp, getting paint on her clothes isn’t an accident—it’s the point. In her world, fabric becomes canvas, and everyday pieces transform into something entirely her own. “I think that one of my absolute favorite things to paint on is clothes  and shoes, just because the different sections are fun visually, plus then I get to wear the art,  which is so much more fun than letting it sit in a drawer.” 

On the canvas of her white shorts, Anne brings together color and movement in a way that feels almost musical: pink petals drifting across green and turquoise leaves, each brushstroke echoing rhythm and flow. That sense of motion isn’t accidental. “I think that I get the most inspiration from music. Sometimes I’ll be listening to a song, and I’ll get a mental concept sketch laid out  just off of how it moves and [and from] the lyrics, or sometimes it’ll be the story of the piece that is really inspiring, like when I was playing ‘Symphony Fantastique’ in orchestra and painted it because of  how interesting the story was.” 

Like many creatives, Anne has also developed her own way of quieting the inner critic.  “Whenever I paint, I always turn on my favorite true crime podcast, because it gives my brain something to think through, so I don’t overthink the painting part.”  

Most of Anne’s experience has come from experimenting on her own. “While I had some art classes in middle school, I’ve done far more art at home, and I would consider myself mostly self-taught. The impact that this has had is that I tend to ignore the planning phase of a painting and just fix it as I go, which works for me, even though there are definitely smarter ways to do it.” 

Anne isn’t in a rush to define what is next. “I’m not sure if I see my art evolving in one specific direction so much as I like to just try out different art styles,” she says, noting a growing curiosity about oil and gouache. For Anne, wearable art isn’t just about design; it’s about impact. After all, getting paint on your clothes is one thing. Painting your clothes is something else entirely.