She has a talent that is focused on sharing all that is good about our land from picturesque landscapes to the determination of strong, independent women, to the magic of a child’s imagination. 
In many ways Fermanagh’ Gráinne Knox is more than an artist.
As far back as she can remember she says she always enjoyed art and was regularly found drawing or making things, an interest she believes may have stemmed from her two artistic grandmothers.
Born in Enniskilen, Miss Knox attended St. Theresa’s Primary School and Mount Lourdes. 
“I dropped art as an academic subject after GCSE level to concentrate on science subjects. I went to Queen’s University in Belfast and gained a degree in Marine Biology and a Masters in Sustainable development, I’ve taken the long way round to becoming an artist,” she laughed.
After University Miss Knox worked as a government scientist until 2015 when after having her two children she took voluntary redundancy to concentrate on bringing them up.
“Shortly after having my second child, a colleague of my uncle’s called John Gilmore approached me to illustrate a children’s book. It was a total dream for me and I jumped at the chance. We published ‘Hector and the Magic Detector’ in 2016, and my work has kind of grown from there.”
Miss Knox enjoys drawing landscapes, particularly in Fermanagh, and has also completed a collection of sketches focusing on Portstewart and the North Coat.  It is currently on display in Roughan’s on the main Promenade in Portstewart,” she explained.
Alongside Irish landscapes, Miss Knox tends to focus on two more interests: feminism and motherhood.
“I’ve been surrounded by strong, smart and creative women my entire life. They are who made me. I’ve already mentioned my grandmothers, but also my own mother, aunts, sisters, friends and now my daughter are a constant source of awe and inspiration.
“Indeed, I work under the ‘Inspired By Astrid’ banner, named after my daughter. My son no doubt will have his own opinion on that in time!” she said.
One of the first pieces of work that really caught peoples’ attention was a doodle Miss Knox came up with for World Breastfeeding Week a couple of years ago. After sharing it with the Breastfeeding in NI’s Facebook group the response, she says, was “amazing.”
“I made up some copies and personalised them and sold them to raise money for Tiny Life. The response I got from those women really boosted my confidence in my work. Two of my favourite pieces to date are ‘100 years’ celebrating the centenary of some women winning the right to vote and ‘A woman’s place is in the Resistance’ which was inspired by the Women’s Marches that took place last year.
“‘A Woman’s Place...’ was selected to be part of a brilliant exhibition in the Hallows Gallery in Belfast entitled ‘An Untold Story,’ celebrating female artists in Northern Ireland. it is still on display there now as part of their summer show,” she said. 
And children’s Illustration is another string to Miss Knox’s bow.
“Kids are just magic,” she said. “There’s nothing better than children’s literature for a bit of escapism. Helping bring those stories to life is the stuff dreams are made of,” she said.
Just like her art.
To check out Gráinne’s Facebook Page, visit ‘Inspired By Astrid,’ follow on Twitter  
@grainne_knox and Instagram 
@grainneknox