The Founder

Sona Knox was one of 3 artists featured in a McKinney Art on The Square article "The Art Scene" penned by Anne Royer from McKinney Today,  July 2, 2010. The following is an excerpt from that article.

Sona Knox has been on her artistic journey since she was a small child growing up in the Midwest. Her parents were P.E. teachers, and expected her to follow their path.

Accordingly, she majored in Physiology, but minored in Art, at University of Illinois. Then she left for California, where she pursued a masters degree at UC Berkeley.

Encouraged by God, and influenced by The Artist's Way (Julia Cameron), Knox began to follow her dream to create a safe environment for young people and adults to find their creative voice.

Art classes in Dallas led to a scholarship at TWU (Denton), enabling her to earn her teaching certificate in Texas. After teaching art in Dallas, she and her family moved to McKinney, where she taught in the elementary schools. During the summer, she worked and taught among the artists at Lake Tahoe.

In January 2005, Knox turned a corner on her journey: she opened The Art House in downtown McKinney, just a few blocks north of the square, and began to create that safe place for creativity. She was looking for her« field of dreams,» when she found the house on Kentucky St. It has become a hub for artists in town, where they can run their own classes, and rent studio space. Knox's presence is a constant, and she effectively promotes the programs and artists that populate The Art House.

Last year, Knox and fellow McKinney artists Kerry Randall-Johnston and Molly Goodall, along with art enthusiast Lisa LaBarge, organized the McKinney Art Studio Tour (MAST), under the auspices of the McKinney Art Club. The event startled many McKinney residents who followed the self-guided tour through an amazing array of art studios around town.

Thanks to Knox's vision, not only did the greater community begin to appreciate the breadth of artistic talent in town, but the artists were encouraged to work together as an arts community. This year, the event will again take place during the second weekend in November (Nov. 13-14).

Knox is best known for her pottery, which she has in galleries in Dallas and McKinney (Garret Gallery, downtown McKinney). Her current series of boxes was inspired by the assemblages of surrealist Joseph Cornell. Touched by cast off remnants of the past, Knox's assemblages, though mostly composed of clay forms, capture other meaningful objects, and invite the viewer to peer into a precious space which feels very familiar. (Read more about Knox's place at www.arthousetx.com.)"