Showings by appointment only

call or text: (858) 519-4079
email: lmcknett@gmail.com

Note: clicking on the menu item of currently viewed page will restart that page.

Born from the third generation of professional artists I was surrounded by great artists in my own family.
I was introduced to art by my aunt, who taught me paint in styles of the old masters.

I was raised in Sun Valley, Idaho, the youngest of four daughters. I enjoyed riding horses in the Rocky Mountain Trails in summer, and downhill skiing in winter. Spectacular beauty of the mountains, and harsh wilderness of the Gem State strongly affected me as an artist.

Horses are my passion. I raised them, and trained them for dressage and for jumping. While in high school, I worked part time at the Sun Valley Stables, and as a veterinary assistant. That allowed me to support myself, and to be close to my beloved animals.

I began my formal artist education at Northwest College in Wyoming, and at Idaho State University in Boise. Later I moved to California, and enrolled to ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. There I met my future husband Chuck, who was at this time a graduate student of astrophysics at Caltech.

After college we both got jobs at Hughes Aircraft, and later started our own high-tech company. Our jobs required lots of international travel, so I visited the world from Europe to as far as Japan.

These were good times. Our wonderful son was born, so I got very busy raising him. But I always found time to paint, ride horses, and hone my artistic skills at Watts Atelier in Encinitas.

Unfortunately, in 2003, my horse Carlos (on the picture above), an olympic dressage champion, fell on me. I was badly injured and lost my memory. My memories slowly came back, but I have not been able to walk without a cane since.

Then another tragedy struck. In the hot summer of 2012, my husband died of heart failure while jogging. He had invested all our personal funds in his new business, and I was left with nothing but a car, and a small life insurance policy. I sold all my belongings, and moved to Challis, Idaho, where my parents and sister then lived. I opened a small art institute on city's main street. I was teaching art there, and showing and selling mine, and other local artists' works.

A job opportunity brought me back to California. There I met my current life partner, Jaroslaw. An engineer from Poland, who managed to escape a communist "paradise" back in the eighties. We now live in Laguna Hills, CA.

With his help I managed to realize my lifelong dream - my own art gallery and atelier. I opened it at Laguna Hills Mall. It was a great place. I run the gallery until the mall was shut down about the same time COVID hit.
To learn more about it click "History" tab on the page menu.

We are both retired now, but it does not mean we do nothing. I still paint. He builds our websites, and spoils Sheldon, our dog. We are currently working on launching our online start-up Famous Artists Track. It is a web service to connect artists with local communities, collectors, galleries, and any potential art buyers. It is also a new way for the artists to scale themselves through online competitions judged only by other artists, and artists commenting on each other's artwork.

• Northwest College, Powell, WY, 1974-1975 (Western Art)
• Idaho State University, Boise, ID, 1976-77 (Fine Art, Illustration, Sculpture)
• ArtCenter College of Design, Pasadena, CA, 1977-1980 (Illustration)
• California Art Institute, San Diego, CA, 1990-1999 (Fine Art, Illustration, Plein Air)
• Watts Atelier, Encinitas, CA, 1999-2010 (Fine Art, Plein Air)
• Ned Mueller Atelier, Renton, WA, 2011-2012 (Fine Art, Plein Air )

• American Impressionist Society
• California Art Club
• Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA)
• Outdoor Painters Society

• Devon International Horse Show Association, cover art for 2020 (First Place)
• Iberian National Olympic Horse Show, Ft. Meyer, Texas, November 2019 (Grand 1st Prize Cover Art)
• Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, Laguna Beach, CA, yearly October shows, 2009-2019
• Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, online shows, 2016-2021
• Greenhouse Fine Art, 2015
• 6x6 inch Squared, Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA, yearly December shows, 2013-2020
• Oil Painters of America Western Regional Competition, 2004, 2012
• Art Walk, Westlake Village, CA, 1992-1999
• Art Walk, Thousand Oaks CA, 1992
• Calendar show, Westlake Art Guild, 1990 (First Place)
• Fine Art Gallery, ArtCenter College of Design, Pasadena, CA, 1980 (First Place)

Meet me on Facebook

or visit my FASO website

	How it Started
	One beautiful day in March of 2017 Lisa went to Laguna Hills Mall. She wanted to buy new glasses at Lens Crafters.

My portraits are painted from photos provided by the horse or pet owner. The more visual information I have, the more accurate portrait I can create.

It is best if you provide multiple photos. That would allow me to find all the details I need.

The pictures must be taken with high-resolution camera or cell phone. The pictures must be in focus and not blurry.

You may email the photos to me, post them online, or deliver by other digital media. Make sure that I receive the original high-resolution photographs that are not scaled down during the delivery process.

• The bigger the better - your pet image should fill as much space on the photo as possible.
• Sharp, clear photos of eyes and face are crucial in capturing personality of the animal.
• To avoid blurry images you should make sure that the animal stays still when you take the photos (no matter how many snacks this will cost you).
• Pay attention to perspective - camera distortions ruin every photo. Use lense settings for focal length 50mm or above.
• Ensure proper lighting. Natural light is the best. Never photograph your animal with the light or shiny objects behind it.
• Do not use flash - it upsets the animal, and creates false colors and unnatural shadows.

Size	Head only	Full body / with rider	Multiple subjects
6x6	$ 250	$ 250	$ 350
8x10	$ 275	$ 275	$ 375
9x12	$ 300	$ 325	$ 400
11x14	$ 350	$ 400	$ 500
12x16	$ 400	$ 500	$ 600
16x20	$ 500	$ 600	$ 700
18x24	$ 600	$ 700	$ 800
20x24	$ 700	$ 800	$ 950
24x30	$ 800	$ 900	$ 1100
24x36	$ 1000	$ 1200	$ 1400
30x40	$ 1200	$ 1600	$ 1800