I was having tea with friends at the Good Karma Cafe one evening, when, as luck would have it, I glanced to my right and noticed Oli Knowles carefully hand-coloring a newly drawn page in a thick notebook of comic illustrations. Even from a distance, the work had this delightful, jewel-like quality, so I butted right in and asked if I could have a closer look. Oli was gracious enough to share their work with me, and I was every bit as impressed with its clear point of view as I was its aesthetic strength. Several weeks later, we’re thrilled to announce Oli Knowles as Artblog’s newest comics contributor, and proud to premier the world of “Socialist Grocery” on our site. We hope this will be the first visit of many!
More about Oli:
Oli Knowles is an Illustrator and storyteller living and working in Philadelphia. They were born in 1994 in West Chester, Pennsylvania where they spent most of their childhood making crudely constructed zines out of copy paper, skateboarding, and searching for tiny life under rocks. They studied painting at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a minor in art history. During this time, they co-founded Brain Bug Magazine, a comic-heavy publication for kids, specifically visual learners, that discusses science, food and sustainability.
In their current work, Oli aims to connect themes, messages and memories from adolescence to new experiences in adulthood, focusing on full circles, and the collapse of the linear narrative. They want to frame and highlight casual interactions in ways that give them topical significance, while also discussing vulnerability, intimacy and queerness.
