Knight pursued her career in art with determination and independence. After World War I, she became fascinated with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and London theatre, sketching scenes on the stage and off. Then, in the early 1920's, Knight became seduced by circus life. For a time she even joined the circus, chronicling its every aspect. In Lions at the Circus, with a quick, sure hand, Knight captures both the lions and the excitement under the big top.

Dame Laura Knight was an immensely talented and colorful force in the cultural life of twentieth century Britain. Her experiences in Cornwall, at the ballet, the theatre, the circus, and finally the gypsy camps of her native England, are chronicled in two autobiographies, Oil Paint and Grease Paint, 1936 and The Magic of Line, 1965.