Julian Knap is a 27 year old artist who has been painting full time for around seven years. Born in Wellington in 1977 to Polish immigrant parents, he has lived in Miramar since.

He attended Marist Holy Cross School and then St. Patrick's College where he discovered a natural talent for art. Taught by artist Rob Taylor at St. Patrick's College, Julian acquired some similar attributes to his teacher, particularly with use of colours. Then after a year studying art at Whitireia Polytechnic, Julian decided to make his own way in art, teaching himself since 1997.

In that time he has produced several large paintings. With his focus being on quality rather than quantity, paintings have taken up to three months to complete. Although he specializes in oil painting, Julian also has skills in drawing, sculpture and design.

His subjects range from landscapes to portraits, while his favorite topics include fantasy, environmental and multi-perspective images.

Julian's paintings are generally large canvasses filled with colour and detail, mostly inspired from his interests in science, nature, mythology, fantasy, religion, and different art styles and mediums.

Julian currently has paintings displayed at; Offbeat Originals, Left Bank, Cuba Mall, Wellington, and; Weta Digital (Lord of the Rings production company), Miramar, Wellington.