Dave Letterfly Knoderer

Dave Letterfly Knoderer (born 1953) is an American artist known for his versatile talents with sign painting, airbrush artistry, gold leaf gilding, and pinstriping, and is also a classic horseman and entertainer.

In 1973, Dave officially began his career hand painting signs for the community of Clarklake between circus tours.

Commissioned work expanded when Jim Elliott, manager of the W. G. Wade Shows in Michigan, hired him to create a pattern of their masthead to use to decorate the fleet.

Later, in the role of show painter for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros Circus, and the Elliott Amusement Company, Dave's innovative decorations rocketed his reputation.

Letterfly – a word coined in 1976 by artist Dave Knoderer to use as his brush name, was officially registered as a business trademark in 1988 and legally became part of his name in 2022.

The moniker Letterfly was an upgrade from his teenage alias Krazee Davee.

Dave grew up on the Wittenberg University campus as the son of a mezzo-soprano opera singer mother and a Lutheran minister father.

Creativity began at an early age when little David began to imitate the themed homecoming displays built by the fraternity and sorority houses each fall with clever versions of his own.

Imprinted with his father's love for the circus and inspired by the annual visit of the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros Circus, Dave produced his backyard circus each summer.

Although majoring in music and art throughout school, frustrations at home forced his decision to trust a hunch and at sixteen he launched himself into a life of adventure.

Dave took his set of drums and a few paintbrushes and spent the summer on a touring tent circus that made one-day stands.

His creative drum licks enhanced the audience experience of the Clark & Walters Circus.

Painting artwork on the fleet quickly evolved into other creative outlets in this interesting culture.

As a nineteen-year-old animal training understudy, he created and learned how to perform with his six-pony liberty act.

His performing palominos toured most of North America and half of Canada for many seasons.

In 1979, he became an apprentice in the sign painting trade, enhancing his lettering and composition skills while working on various projects.

Dave's association with the Letterheads, a group of sign painter tradesmen, expanded opportunities to exchange information about gold leaf gilding, specialty brush techniques, faux painted effects, and historic aspects of the sign trade.

Remaining passionate about the performing artform that utilized specialty-trained horses, Dave continued developing and performing with a series of three dancing horses over three decades.

A picture of him astride his second horse, Class N Sass, is on display at the Museum of the Horse in Kentucky Horse Park.

His horsemanship career evolved into having a command of the highest form of classic horsemanship – the Haute E ‘Cole or high school horse.

Astride the American Saddlebred, he trained to the highest level, Dave on Souveran secured first place at the Sarasota International Circus Festival and Talent Competition in 1989.

He also developed and performed many admirable antics with his jet-black mule in their comedy routine as "Gold Dust and the Old Cuss."

The advent of the computer introduced the demise of the hand-lettering sign man.

Fortunately, Letterfly was in the right place at the right time and discovered an emerging trend - the RV industry had begun producing large diesel-pusher motorhomes in the mid-eighties.

Ma and Pa USA wanted their motor coach to look like a country music tour bus with airbrushed murals of stagecoaches, eagles flying over the mountains, wolves in the desert, underwater coral reef scenes, and custom images of all kinds.

Since Dave, having performed with the circus, knew how to travel, he was able to capitalize on this roving market and thrive.

While chasing the work all over the country for nine years solid, Letterfly became the most prolific of all the artists on the RV scene.

Becoming the premier producer of custom murals attracted the attention of Don Wallace, who was busy building the Disney of RV dealerships in Tampa.

Don wanted everything that an RVer could want on his property.

Having the best artist in the country was part of his vision.

In 1995 Letterfly began his notable residency at Lazydays and thrived there for fifteen years.

As technology introduced a new way for RV exteriors to be painted, and digitally printed images took over the market, Dave adapted by responding to demands for murals in the emerging upscale Harley-Davidson retail facilities.

In that environment, Dave discovered another market for his unique skillset - pinstriping for bikers by hand with paint.

Today he enjoys a route of customer-dedicated motorcycle dealerships from Philadelphia to Chicago where he adds to the fun of motorcycling.

Writing started with creating marketing content at the brink of the RV trend and evolved into a series of entertaining anecdotes, philosophical interludes, magazine articles, and published essays - many of which are parked on his blog entitled LetterflyWrites.

Dave also sends out a bi-monthly e-mail newsletter entitled "Tales of a Traveling Airbrush."

Soon the author had enough material for a book, and then two, and then three.

With the help of his creative writing professor friend, Dave became a published author with his first memoir "Speedy Hurled through Havoc" which reveals part of his interesting life.

Other titles include - "Hit the Road and Thrive," - "The Galloping Snapper," - "Kinker Circusing the Seventies," - and "Rolling Art, Why a Mural?"

Future books in the works include - "Red Sorrel on the Road Home," - "Responsible RVing," - "One Man Show," and "Rolling Motorcycle Art."