Carl Knickerbocker refers to his art as "Suburban Primitivism," a blending of folk forms and pop influences that carries with it the weight of his socio-political observations. His large canvas commentaries engender smiles, but as Orlando Weekly columnist Lindy Shepherd put it, "You laugh because you get it. Then you sober up because you really get it." The impact of his intellect is cleverly concealed behind his humor. His art is content driven. Art with a point to drive home. Art for society's sake.

Knickerbocker addresses social concerns and especially self-identification – how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive what others perceive about us. With their blend of whimsy and provocation, his paintings become an antidote for what ails us in our fast-paced, often frightening society. As people of developed cultures search for meaning by trying to replace the models that modernism trusted and post-modernism mocked, Knickerbocker's art provides us with a paradox that is simultaneously entertaining and enlightening thus transforming the prosaic into poetry.