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Shady Characters,
Shady World

The year 1987 marked a turning point in Graham Knuttel's life as he traded the vibrant energy of bars and nightclubs for the solitude of his studio, locking himself away with only his easel for company. Yet despite his self-imposed isolation the characters that populate his paintings continue to embody echoes of his past - a world of intrigue, decadence, and hidden stories.

Knuttel's figures, framed by exotic interiors share a collective refusal to meet your gaze, a deliberate avoidance of eye contact that speaks to the fractured perspectives of their shadowy world. Their tight-lipped expressions, hawk-like eyes tell of suspicion, veiled motives and the constant threat of betrayal lurking just beneath the surface. Each canvas invites us into a narrative of mistrust where the truth is as elusive as the characters themselves.

A painting of a man in a beige suit and tie and a woman in a blue dress, both with serious expressions, sitting at a table with a cityscape in the background.

Painting The Happy Couple 30” x 22”

Abstract portrait of a woman with crossed arms, wearing a patterned dress, set against a backdrop of dark blue night sky with a bright full moon.

Painting Spanish Blonde 22” x 28”

A painting of five men sitting around a table in a dimly lit bar, with alcohol bottles on shelves behind them. The men are dressed in casual and formal clothing, some with cigarettes in their mouths, and they have intense, serious expressions.

Painting Basement Bar 36” x 48”

Cubist-style painting of a man and woman in an urban nighttime setting with buildings and a full moon in the background. The man has short hair and a serious expression, wearing a suit. The woman has long hair, bold eyebrows, and a stern expression, with her hand placed on the man's chest.

Painting Chinatown Romance 30” x 22”

A painting depicting four men with stern expressions, sitting inside a cafe, of whom three are seated at a table and one is visible through a window. The men are dressed in colorful suits and are holding drinks, with accessories like rings, watches, and rings on the table. The background shows a city street at night with people walking by.

Painting Swag 36” x 36”

A street scene with three men with serious expressions, exaggerated features, and slicked-back hair, in front of colorful apartment buildings.

Painting 3 Crooks 30” x 20”

Painting of two women standing behind a table with potted flowers in a garden-like setting, with a window in the background.

Painting Flowershop 36” x 48”

Painting of two men sitting at a table, each holding blue playing cards, with a building cityscape and full moon in the background.

Painting Ace of Spades 22” x 30”

A colorful abstract painting of seven people gathered around a table, with two women in the foreground holding glasses of wine, and five people in the background, all with serious expressions.

Painting Red Wine Ladies 36” x 48”

Sailors & Rum

From a young age Graham Knuttel knew he was destined to be an artist. Instead of attending school he often found himself drawn to the rugged beauty of Dublin’s coastline where rocks shells and the endless ebb and flow of merchant ships provided ample inspiration. The bustling pubs near the dockyard brimming with colourful sailors and shady characters became his classroom - a world where beer and rum flowed as freely as the stories.

Amid the clatter of port workers, the comings and goings of ship crews and the towering presence of cranes, Knuttel absorbed the raw energy of life at the docks. These gritty scenes and vibrant personalities found their way onto his canvases where every face told a story and every figure captured the untamed spirit of those early years. The dockside life became his muse, shaping the narratives of his art for years to come.

A stylized painting of a woman and a man embracing on a boat, with a stork standing on the boat.

Painting Sailor Boy Sailor Girl 36” x 36”

A digital painting of a man and woman sitting at a wooden table outdoors during sunset. The man, with a mustache and goatee, wears a blue bandana, black shirt, and holds a beer bottle. The woman has long dark hair, wears a white tank top, blue bandana, and gold hoop earrings. They both have serious expressions. The background shows a body of water with sailboats and a setting sun in a colorful, stylized artistic style.

Painting Sunset Rum 36” x 48”

A painting of five sailors wearing blue uniforms with white sailor hats, holding bottles of beer. The sailors have mustaches and stern expressions. In the background, there are two portholes with fish swimming in water.

Painting In the Deep End 72” x 36”

“Mr. Punch is my alter ego. He reflects my moods. We fight the same battles from the same cupboards”

Mr. Punch,
Knuttel’s unruly alter ego

In Graham Knuttel’s works Mr. Punch emerges as a vivid, unruly alter ego — a reflection of the artist's rebellious spirit. From the very beginning Punch stomps through Knuttel's canvases with unapologetic energy, confined to his cramped stage yet yearning to strut and swagger from side to side.

His outbursts are a raw chaotic expression of everything socially unacceptable — and he revels in it. Punch is unapologetically himself, indifferent to jeers or disdain, wielding his large stick with brazen confidence. He shouts, rants, and embraces his role as the ultimate mischief-maker.

But when it’s time for Graham to capture him on canvas, Punch, ever the performer, quietens down and strikes a pose — as if knowing he must freeze his wildness just long enough to be immortalized in paint.

A colorful, abstract portrait of a person with a serious expression, wearing a green and yellow diamond patterned shirt with a white ruffled collar, sitting in a wooden chair with an orange seat. The person has dark hair with a green hat and a prominent nose. They hold a small yellow bird in their left hand and a white dog in their lap. A black-eyed, yellow cat is positioned behind them on the back of the chair. The background features a dark blue sky with clouds and an orange curtain or wall behind the person.

Painting Tempting Faith 30” x 22”

Stylized illustration of a person with an angry expression sitting on a red chair, holding a large knife, with a black bird perched on their shoulder, surrounded by pink flowers in the foreground, and wearing a green plaid jacket and white shirt.

Painting Punch with Scissors 30” x 48”

“I return in my work constantly to still-life as a source of inspiration. Its potential for simplicity and invention and its deep roots in tradition bring me back to my student studies of Cezanne and Picasso.”

Still Life

Painting Still life with Peaches 36” x 36”

A still life painting of a table with three green bottles, a ceramic pitcher, a bowl of cherries, and three cherries arranged on a paper placemat, with yellow buildings with closed shutters and a blue sky in the background.

Painting Green Bottle with Peaches 36” x 36”

Giclée Print Edition Red Wine and Jug 25.5” x 31”

Chefs in the Kitchen

The bustling chaos of a kitchen was a rich source of inspiration for Knuttel’s figurative paintings and it’s not hard to see why. Here among the pots, pans and simmering sauces, you’ll find a melting pot of colourful characters - a heady mix of chefs, waiters, and impatient patrons.

Kitchens may be filled with creativity but they’re also pressure cookers of tension where the heat is literal and the stress is palpable. It’s a place where culinary artists push the boundaries of self-expression but also where long hours, late nights and impossible schedules can bring out the worst in even the most seasoned chef. The delicate ballet of taking orders, giving orders and meeting deadlines makes for an adrenaline-fueled environment where things can go from calm to chaos in seconds. When something inevitably goes wrong or a waiter and chef lock horns over the fate of a soufflé, tempers are sure to flare.

It’s no surprise that kitchen life often leads to stress, burnout and the occasional flying sauté pan. For Knuttel this tension was the perfect recipe for his art in capturing the raw energy and human drama simmering behind the scenes.

Painting Smoke in the Kitchen 60” x 30”

A vibrant, stylized painting of a group of chefs in a kitchen, with two men in suits watching from the background. The chefs have serious expressions, some are holding wine glasses, and there are various foods and bottles on the table and floor, including crabs, peppers, and a loaf of bread.

Painting Seafood Chowder 84” x 60”

Knuttel’s Animal Farm

Knuttel’s bold use of colour and tension doesn’t stop at shady gangsters or sultry dames - it spills over into his animal kingdom where every creature, whether on land or lurking beneath the sea, carries the same twisted traits we find in humans: vanity, suspicion, desire and, of course, treachery. With Knuttel, if you’re looking for deeper meaning just follow the feathers or fins.

Take his birds for instance. With their fancy feathers on full display, they’re attention-seeking show-offs. Knuttel’s lifelong fascination with birds began with a traumatic childhood incident where his grandmother tried to lock him in a wardrobe. In his nightmares she haunts him like a cackling crow with long talon-like claws - no wonder birds play such a sinister role in his work.

Then there are his fish which are disturbingly close to human. These slippery creatures seem calm enough, but you get the feeling they could turn ravenous at any moment. Even his underwater plants look like they're scheming with sharp knife-like tips ready to pounce.

And let’s not forget the cats - Knuttel’s clear stand-in for the intellectual elite. His own cat Fanta is the perfect example: aloof and indifferent until she needs something. Like any true feline she’s a master manipulator, purring her way to affection before deploying her finely tuned skills of persuasion. Knuttel knew exactly how to capture the cunning and charm of his furry friends.