Issac Knight: (1941 - )
Born: Tallahassee, Florida
Issac was born on a 100 acre farm outside of Tallahassee where his family grew cotton, peanuts, sugarcane, okra and other vegetables. Issac worked the fields at an early age. He began his journey as a Highwayman by selling other artists’ work. He started painting when he realized he could make more money if he sold and painted. Painting and selling was a second job for Issac so he worked at it on weekends and during the evenings.
At the age of 17 Issac left his family’s troubles behind and focused on doing something besides farming. He settled in Fort Pierce where he had family. Knight worked various jobs before finally finding a job at Northrop Grumman Aerospace where he worked fulltime for 31 years. He retired in 1994. In the early days, painting, for Knight, was a way to earn extra money. He wanted to be more successful than his fulltime job would allow and the weekend work really helped with finances. One weekend When he came home with a pocket full of money, he jokes that “Lillie (his wife) would take it all.” And then she’d tell him he had done a good job and suggest he go out on the road again very soon. Over the years, a number of Highwaymen have come to the Knight’s house to paint. Isaac explains that the friendships have remained strong but that they can still be competitive.
Life is very different for Isaac these days. He goes to dialysis three days a week as he waits for a kidney transplant. Still, he takes pleasure in each day. He raises a few vegetables in his home garden and he and Lillie go to art shows together. He paints in his garage whenever he can, and he and Lillie are working on a book about Isaac’s Highwaymen adventures.
Isaac knight Biography information: obtained from website thehighwaymentrail.com. This website is a fantastic reference to learn about the 26 Florida Highwaymen artists and their importance to Florida's history.