Denise Knebel is an artist and retired U.S. Air Force veteran whose connection with Art Spark Texas began in 2009 through the organization’s Access Gallery. What started as participation in an exhibition grew into a leadership role, helping shape Art Spark’s Texas Veterans Strong program.
As a very young child, she began drawing with her Aunt Donna. Together, they played drawing games and Aunt Donna always encouraged her to try new things. Eventually, the drawing wasn’t enough, so Denise experimented with color by filling in the drawings, working with crayons and later chalk pastels. Now, she always has a set of crayons and coloring books handy as the act of hand-coloring allows her to unwind and relax.
As an adult, Denise didn’t first pursue her passion as an artist. Instead, she enlisted and was on active duty in the United States Air Force for 23+ years. Upon retirement, she and her husband Chuck and two daughters settled in San Antonio, Texas. During her time of reintegration into her family and her new civilian community, Denise often used art-making to facilitate communication with her daughters and within herself. When she learned that VA Vocational Rehab would pay for art school, she enrolled and found herself full circle back coloring with her Aunt Donna; only this time she was working alone in a studio, creating large, bold works on paper, freeing herself from the constraint and control of the military. In 2009, she answered a call in the San Antonio Express News for Texas disabled Veterans to take part in a Veterans Day exhibit. Her ink print of a skeleton painting a self-portrait was accepted, which started her on her current journey as an artist and friend of Art Spark Texas.
Denise was introduced to Art Spark Texas while attending our first veteran’s art show at the Dougherty Arts Center in Austin. She was approached by Celia Hughes to talk about veteran issues, the arts, and how Art Spark could help serve veterans on a deeper level, in an environment where they feel safe and don't have to explain themselves. Having come to terms with the fact that she was not going to be able to move out of state to pursue a degree in art therapy, Denise was excited by the possibility of being on the ground floor of building something to help veterans heal through art.
She saw this as a serendipitous opportunity that allowed her to use her leadership and management skills in new ways, through various processes for developing programming and analysis. Denise would be the first to say that she doesn't know everything, but she is willing to learn. Being involved in the various early Creative Forces efforts by Art Spark Texas and the learning processes they offered was fun, educational, and stressful….yet gratifying. When asked, Denise says, “I am proud to have been part of the creation of the Texas Veterans Strong and Women's Veteran Strong Creative Networks.
Denise is an artist of various media and a retired military veteran who continues to grow. Connecting with Art Spark Texas has helped her gain a broader insight into not-for-profit organizations and the far-reaching possibilities they can offer veterans through their mission and purpose. Her work with many arts organizations in Austin and across the State helped her to better understand how much people care, and how many of these folks were working to help build connections to veterans through the arts.
