Born in Stamford, Connecticut, David Knoecklein has a varied background rich in education, with time spent at The School of Visual Art in New York City, The Studio of Ruben Nakian in Stamford, The Yale Graduate School of Sculpture in New Haven, Connecticut, The San Francisco Art Institute, Boise State University and Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. His travels have also taken him to Florence, Rome and Venice, Italy and Athens, Greece.

Currently residing in Pennsylvania, Knoecklein has exhibited his works in a myriad of shows across the country, garnering much recognition from not only collectors but fellow artists as well, such as Tienfong Ho, for his widely praised 2006 one man show, "Picturing Change – The Still Landscapes of J. David Knoecklein." He continues to paint and tour with his work, as well as teach painting and drawing at the Phoenix Village Art Center and the Chester Springs Studio. Other notable awards include the Blue Ribbon First in Malvern, PA in October of 2005, and national recognition at the National Juried Exhibition at the Wayne Art Center, 2006.