Katie grew up surrounded by artists and art in her family’s home in Southern California. On every wall, hung oil paintings by historical California landscape artists, as well as works by her godfather, John Merrill, a prolific watercolorist. Her grandfather was a wood sculptor, kite maker, and scale-model builder. Her great-aunt was a textile artist and art collector, and her great-uncle was a sculptor.

Situated between citrus trees and mountains, her love of craft and baking started with making mud pies in the irrigation ditches of the orange tree groves. She watched her father make meticulous model cars and Calder-esque mobiles. Her mother introduced her to cookie baking, candy making, and costume creation. In 1990, Katie was 9 years old when Martha Stewart debuted her first magazine publication; “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I remember thinking, ‘I could do ALL of this and I will!” And she never stopped believing it.

Katie’s favorite things to create are elaborate Halloween costumes and props, decorating seasonal cookies and gingerbread houses, and miniature watercolors.

Her favorite artists are:  Eyvind Earle, Jessie Botke, Beatrix Potter, her godfather, her young son, and late 'dear old dad', whose larger mobile installations can be found in her hometown at the Santa Paula Art Museum.