Kathryn grew up near the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. She studied painting and art history at the University of Calgary and Queens University, and subsequently attended Banff School of Fine Arts. As well as painting, Kathryn spent a decade working in clay, creating smoke-fired sculptural forms and one-of-a kind functional pieces.

A love of the outdoors is a theme that runs through all of Kathryn’s work. A keen hiker, paddler and skier, her inspirations are found along the trail and from her kayak. Her attention to the patterns found in the natural world and the changing dynamics of environmental conditions has provided endless fodder for her paintings of water. Translating images of reflections, waves and ripples into paint allows her to play with the way these designs can be modulated between the representational and the purely abstract. They address our universal response of these patterns in nature by capturing them in specific locations and conditions.

Writing also plays a role in Kathryn’s creative life. Her most recent book, West on One: The Stories behind the Scenery (released in 2010) explores the points of interest found along the Trans-Canada Highway west from Calgary and into the Rocky Mountains.

Another excuse for spending time outdoors is Kathryn’s interest in ornithology. She is involved in several bird-related projects, such as the migration monitoring done at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary and various bird surveys done through Bird Studies Canada. Unsurprisingly, bird imagery has found its way into some of her paintings as well.

She has spent extended periods of time in France, India, Indonesia and Central America, and takes every opportunity to travel.