**NOTICE** Apologies -- thanks to a lot of "life things" and creative endeavors in other directions, my Ardent Images work and website have fallen out of date. Now that I've relocated to Arizona I hope to rekindle that part of my artistic work, and updating this website and it's portfolio galleries. when this notice is remove you'll know I've caught up! Meanwhile you are welcome to explore any aspects here that work and please "pardon our construction". Contact me if interested in any kind of collaboration here in southern Arizona!

Welcome to Ardent Images, the website and business name for literary and artistic endeavors by Jeff Knowles. This is not a place for closed-mindedness, negativity, or a barrage of time-draining posts to keep up with and "like". There are plenty of social media sites for that (and I'm on some of those too). May you instead find this site to be a refreshingly calm corner of thoughtful visual and literary expression featuring one artist's creativity and collaborations. Relax, breathe, check out the galleries and information, and feel free to contact me with any feedback or inquiries.


Why "Ardent"? The word means passionate, fiery, bright -- or originally, "burning" or "glowing". All of these suitably describe the spark of creativity behind Ardent Images. Now living with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME, the energy I can channel into artistic work is limited. But what I can do, I try to approach with professionalism and innovation. Honoring my need for creative projects and experimentation is soul-nourishing and essential.

What sort of spark? The Ardent Images style emphasizes a subtle balance and integration of influences that are often not thought of as compatible. You may find the results to your tastes or you may not. I believe the human experience is complex and blended like that, and thus art that reflects that reality is more enduring. So, I blend and combine. Fantasy scenes in ordinary settings, with classical esthetics. An individual's complexity emphasized by stripping away external complexities. The dynamic beauty of dance without relying on cliche dance poses. A full-length novel that is a whimsical fairytale, an epic fantasy, a picture book, and an intimate character story all at once. In life we must balance many elements that do not naturally get along very well, and so it is a goal in my art.