Illuminate Painting

Kat was born in the Kansas City, MO area. At the age of 10, her family moved to San Carlos, CA. She has lived in many areas in Northern California, and on the North Shore of Oahu HI. She currently resides and works from her studio in Hollister, CA As a child, Kat dreamed of becoming a high fashion designer, as her father worked for Vogue Fashion Marketing in NY. There was never a shortage of fashion catalogues around the house to inspire her. She spent countless hours making drawings of the models, lost in her dreams of greatness! She continued her art-making throughout her school years, falling in love with line and form. Kat resumed her education in her mid-20’s, studying art history and design at a local college, as she raised her young family of 2 boys. Kat worked in the Silicon Valley electronics industry for many years as a silk-screener, and later as a Quality Director. Throughout her life, Kat continued to paint, sculpt, and draw. For a number of years, she had a small business at home printing her original pen & ink drawings on glass and shirts. After a few years away from art making, she began painting again in 2009, and has continued to paint regularly ever since. “I believe that the desire to create is a basic human characteristic. It manifests itself in almost everyone, in many forms. One of my basic needs throughout my life has been to create art. I cannot remember a time when this need was not growling as a ravenous hunger deep within. Through my art making, I can express my deepest emotions and work through many of my struggles. Creating art is a vital part of my survival; it allows me to communicate feelings I could not otherwise. On a very rudimentary level, I think that the act of creating art is really an act of love. I feel very privileged and thankful to be able to make art full time now, in my own studio. For many years, I only painted in the representational style. But some time ago, I felt the need to be looser and more abstract in my visual language. I worked in the non-representational style for a few years. I found an exhilarating freedom in this approach. My work is now moving once again back to my love of the human form in an enigmatic, expressionistic approach. I work in various mediums from oil to acrylic, encaustic to sculpture. However, through each piece, regardless of style, medium, or subject matter, there is always some extent of self-discovery and healing that occurs.