Knowles, Therese (1918-2008) Florida Artist Painting. Oil on Canvas - signed lower right with business card attached on verso. Created in brush and micro palette. Muted gray and purple tones on the horizon signal an impending storm. Canvas measures 16x20 framed to overall size of 23.5x27.5. Therese Knowles was a member in Florida of the Indian River School of Painting, which was not a formal school but began with a group of mostly African-American Florida working class people who wanted to paint. Following is the explanation of that school and its participants. Indian River School is a name applied to Floridian artists in the 1950's and 1960's. They were heavily influenced by nature. Most of the artists in this movement were African American. Their work is characterized by quick strokes and eschews traditional methods of paintings. The main influence for the group was a man named A.E. Backus, a Bohemian white man who mentored the group of young