About the Artist
Katie grew up in Oakland, California, the daughter of a creative and artistic mother who embraced every opportunity to expose her children to art. Katie studied at the California College of Arts And Crafts while attending high school, and took advantage of a unique, intensive Graphic Design course that lead to the Applied Art & Design program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She has continued to study and produce art while simultaneously exploring various creative career experiences. She served for many years as a pastry chef and food artist at several popular local restaurants, and evolved as a noted painter of vegetables.
Today, her creative pursuits extend to parenting a toddler as well as expanding her own artistic vision and body of work. Her design background provides a firm foundation for her drawings and paintings, and she delights in experimenting with materials and subject matter.
Commenting on her current approach to her work, she says, “Most recently, the work that I am doing is about exploring materials and content. I find that each time I get back to work I am beginning in a different place. What has been most surprising to me is that instead of finding it to be a frustrating experience, I am feeling strangely liberated. Some ideas and processes are familiar, but my approach is different. Motivated by a shortage of time, I am focusing more on the process of creating interesting surfaces, and am finding the results to be very revealing. I have come to feel that the greatest outcome is one that provides a surprise: some content I hadn’t considered, a revelation, or even just a perfect, beautiful line.”
Education
- 1999-present—Ongoing art education and exploration
Cuesta College Fine Art Department, San Luis Obispo - 1991—Bachelor of Science, Applied Art & Design Graphics Concentration
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Solo Exhibitions
- 2008—The TOMATO Show , A month-long celebration of summer's harvest
ARTS Space Obispo, San Luis Obispo County Arts Council - 2002—Fresh Paintings, Call Booth House Gallery, Paso Robles
- 2001—FOOD ARTS, Big Sky Café, San Luis Obispo
Selected Exhibitions
- 2007—retro-spective, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, curated by Catherine Trujillo
- 2003—Now and New, San Luis Obispo Art Center, curated by Tim Anderson
- 2002—
Artists' Books, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo
Aquarius 25, Central Coast Watercolor Society, juried by Arne Westerman, Awarded 2nd place - 2001—
Color of Autumn, Paso Robles Art Association, juried by Tim Anderson
Aquarius 24, Central Coast Watercolor Society, juried by Skip Lawrence - 2000—
Color of Autumn, Paso Robles Art Association, juried by David Kreitzer
Commissions
- 2001—Western Fresh Produce, paintings for promotional material
- 1999—Big Sky Café, series of paintings for multiple promotional applications including menus, t-shirts, signage, advertisements and website animation.