About Katie

Artist Katie Conley captures moments of beauty and color. She spends most days covered in oil paint, but she also loves collage, mosaic, and almost all forms of art. For as long as she can remember, she’s lost herself in art. She followed her passion in college, studying Studio Art at Indiana University. After graduating, she maintained her artistic exploration while working every remotely creative job imaginable to support her art—retail displays, school photography, even working on live TV for the Home Shopping Network. Eventually she earned her master’s degree from the University of Louisville in art education and began teaching art. She gave up teaching to take care of her babies, but has never given up on art.

Katie lives in Austin with her husband and three children. Together they’ve traveled both domestically and internationally, and those travels are often featured in Katie’s art. She is thrilled to be able to paint and create full time from her in-home studio.

About the Art

Katie processes and appreciates life via her art, so she chooses subjects that are full of joy and color. She has lived in and traveled to many places in her life, and loves her city’s local foodie, music, and festival scene. Her family loves a good hike, especially when it ends up in a creek! Whether they’re at home in Austin or traveling in France, Italy, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, Greece, Iceland, or the UK, Katie’s always on the lookout for a scene worth capturing—old buildings, unique vistas, and places that are full of story.  Inspiration is easy to find in France, Mexico, and Greece, but if you’re paying attention, beauty is at the farmer’s market, a neighborhood garden, or a party with friends.

Katie is an incredibly visual person, so ideas strike her often. She loves finding good composition already existing in her environment, and when she does, she snaps pictures with future paintings in mind.  Hundreds and hundreds of pictures. It may take decades for these photos to become the subject being put to canvas, but when they do, she gets to relive the moment that she captured all those years ago. The sounds, smells, and emotions come back to her as she paints, whether it’s warm bread and tangy Parisian cheese, or the salty air and waves crashing in Greece or Mexico. The excitement and energy of that time and place are available at the tip of her brush. She’s nostalgic about her my pre-marriage and pre-children days, but loves capturing the family energy of a moment, too. Whatever is coming to the forefront in the studio, it’s fun to go back in time.