“The smartest thing I ever did was join the circus!” This decision launched a teenager into a prolific, itinerate career on the road. The musician/artist Dave “Letterfly” Knoderer found expression as a show drummer accenting the efforts of the aerialists, performers and artistes, elevating the patrons experience in this fast-paced, uniquely American lifestyle as well as plying skills with paint and brush to decorate the fleet with his emerging style.Drumming under the big top introduced a fascination with animal training. Soon Dave was performing with horses, starting with multiple animal liberty presentations and graduating to classic horsemanship with a specific interest in the discipline of “Haute E’cole.” As levels of finesse were accomplished with his equine dance partners, parallel developments showed up with the pinstriping, airbrushing and graphic work that financed this quest. As the evolution of entertainment grew to exclude horses, the demand for his emerging style of artwork expanded. Being part of this distinct entertainment experience introduced him to skills that morphed into his personal version of the relentless venture of creativity. His pursuit of creative opportunities across the country began. Today a penchant for wandering remains one of the constants in his lifestyle. Letterfly clearly qualifies as an old school/renaissance man. Apprenticing the sign painting trade in the seventies, he learned design layout formulas and became intimate with letterform, pinstriping and wet-blended pictorial painting techniques as his skills with the brush developed. With a penchant for adventure, the young artist soon became involved with painting theatrical sets, amusement park and fairground décor, antique fire engine gilding and carousel horse restoration, along with creating conventional, hand lettered signage and award-winning storefront décor. As sign making began to go the way of the computer in the eighties, Letterfly found a niche airbrushing high quality murals on the backs of motor homes. The most amazing feature of this artist is his uncanny ability to visualize, develop and create images that have never been done before. Along with the wide variety of decorative styles, his oneness with horses, eagles, wolves, feathers, flames and countless other icons makes up the mainstay of his work. One such project, an eagle flying over a scenic view of the Rocky Mountains was for a Harley-Davidson store owner. Soon thereafter, Letterfly began to paint murals and sign work inside and out for his upscale motorcycle dealership. That opportunity led to numerous similar projects at other Harley dealers. While in the proximity of bikers it became impossible for Dave to avoid the relentless requests for delicate pinline designs that personalize, individualize and distinguish their bike from the rest. During the spring, summer and fall the artist is on location between the Northeast and the Midwest at customer dedicated Harley-Davidson stores, hot rod shows, events and working on various projects. Dave also develops and presents entertaining and enlightening speeches as a member of Toastmasters International.Dedicated to preserve the rich culture of the circus, nuance of the skills accumulated during his varied career and the lessons learned on the road of life, Dave began the writing frenzy that continues to this day. While attending a creative writing class, Dave heard the professor say, “all you have to do is paint a picture.” That statement caused a light bulb to flash in his mind. Using the mindset of a pictorial painter as he types, Dave strives to record every facet of the memorable experiences from his colorful life as a wandering entertainer, disciplined horseman and traditional painter of art. Included are stories that allow the reader to experience the thrill of success, the hum-drum rhythm of life on the road and the inevitable pitfalls that stopped all forward momentum. For the sake of inspiration, the author reveals his dramatic turn-around from the devastation of alcoholism, overcoming the fierce independent nature that only kept him separate from the solution and how he finally entered into the process of recovery where he found a practical relationship with God. Crafting this memorable memoire was not unlike the delicate nature of the hand painted pinline design, the result of years of practice and developing finesse with the ungainly, specialized brush. The creation of each rhetorical motif is an exercise in playful meditation and allowing inspiration to take over. The process transformed his time into play and the author opened himself up to possibilities as each notion occuured, only to reveal what qualified as a divine intention as the last stroke on the keyboard was made. During the winter months, you will find the author at his home called ArtPark, in Florida with his loving companions. Lush garden pathways connect the shop, studio, RV parking and gallery situated in a quiet oak hammock that is a haven for creativity and a destination for RVers and bikers alike. For more information visit;Letterfly.com & Travelog.Letterfly.com Enjoy his Blog; LetterflyWrites.home.blogCall or write; 813 505 5539 Letterfly@aol.comAnd see Letterfly Pinstriping on Face book Read more about this authorRead less about this author