An engagement in place.

Alita Knaggs has been involved in the Visual Arts for most of her life and after a long career in art education now paints from her home studio in Fingal Bay.

Having studied at Alexander Mackie CAE ( now COFA) in Sydney, Alita subsequently taught Visual Arts in secondary schools. Until 2017 she was Head Teacher of the Creative and Performing Arts at Tomaree High School in Port Stephens.
Now pursuing the development of her own art practice, she works in a variety of mediums, including oils, acrylics, gouache and mixed media. Primarily a contemporary Landscape Painter, Alita is inspired by her beloved environment, in particular the coastal forms of Fingal Bay.

“I endeavour to capture qualities of the landscape. For me it is an engagement with place and an immersion of light, colour and texture. Then the challenge as I respond and represent that place in my chosen medium.”

In July 2020 Alita was a featured artist at the Artisan Collective Port Stephens where she is now a member and exhibits regularly.
In October 2020 Alita was a finalist in the Newcastle Artspace Emerging Artist Prize (NEAP).
In 2022 and 2024 Alita has been a finalist in the “9 x 5 “ Landscape painting prize.
In 2024 she also successfully exhibited in the Newcastle ArtSpace “Cloud 3”.