My Bio

I have been painting for as long as I could hold a brush. My Granny always had paints, brushes and paper in a box under her TV table, and that was often the first place I went when I got there after giving her a hug.

I took art courses all through junior and senior high school, and loved every class I took. I had some excellent teachers, but my last high school art teacher, Mrs. Kabza, really pushed me further than anyone else, and I now do larger canvases because of her. My plan when I graduated was to continue art in college, but I never made it. Life got in the way, and I went on to a working life instead.

My mother had always encouraged me, as did my granny, but art fell by the way side for a long time. After a divorce, I found my high school sweetheart, and moved to be with him in Houston. We married in 2004, after having just moved to Chattanooga, TN. He’d been pushing me to get back to my art, but I felt my skill was not up to snuff, and doing a few things here and there reinforced that in my mind.

A business trip for him that I went along on to Memphis, TN, started me on the path back to art. I’d taken along my sketch pad to have something to do while he was in meetings. Wandering outside one day, I ran across an interesting building, and sat down (in the rain, under a cafe table umbrella) to sketch it. 2 hours later, he came out to find me, and I started taking numerous pictures of the building and surrounding area.

Once home, I started painting it, but had to stop when my shoulder starting giving me pains. I started working with Sculpy clay for a while, making a kitty ring holder, and then a dog ring holder for my mother. A few more goofy little projects came about, but nothing major.

Then, in 2007, for reasons I can’t really remember now, Memphis started calling to me again. I decided to do a little landscape first, both to get back into ‘painting mode’ and to practice with trees. I took progress pictures of it, and showed some of the folks at work, and everyone was interested in them. When it was finished, I took the piece itself into work, and everyone raved.

A few weeks later, I came into work to a pamphlet on my desk. It was announcing an Art Show/Contest for our company. I decided it would be a good incentive to finish Memphis, and started working on it diligently. After a trip to NY to visit the family (at which point I started and finished a landscape, and started another), I came home, and sunk myself into Memphis, finishing it the day I had to drop it off for the show.

Jon and I went to the reception and awards ceremony, and I saw that one of the pieces in the show already had a ribbon on it… They’d put them on before announcing it! Not wanting the day to be ruined for me, I decided not to stroll down to see if Memphis had placed at all. After snacks and chatting and stressing, they started the announcements. There were two categories before mine, and I just stood still with Jon’s arms around me.

When they finally got to mine, they first announced the honorable mentions. I was disheartened when I didn’t hear my name (not thinking I’d get better than that after having seen some of the other pieces in my category). Then… there it was! 3rd place! Wow! Who would have thought someone would be so excited for 3rd place, but when I was sure I wouldn’t place at all, I was thrilled!

Since then, Memphis is now hanging at my work place in the lobby. My coworkers have been unbelievably supportive (especially my boss), and have even commissioned some pieces. It has given me the confidence to keep trying, and I know I can make a go of this, at least as a part time venture.

It’s a wonderful feeling to know that part of you, something you love and that you pour so much of your life into, is appreciated and respected by others. That’s the force that keeps me going.

About the Artist’s Family

Katlee is a 35 year old woman, originally from Buffalo, NY. She moved to Houston, TX to be with her high school sweetheart, Jon, in 2001, and they picked up where they’d left off years previous. They moved to Chattanooga, TN in 2004 when Jon got a new job, and fell in love with the city almost immediately. 2004 ended up being a very busy year for them: Jon moved in early March for the job, Katlee followed two weeks later after finishing her dog training classes and packing up their stuff, they were married on May 22, and then bought a house in October!

They are now happily settled in Chattanooga with their 3 dogs, Bon, a yellow lab, Remington, a standard poodle, and Duncan, a doberman/schnauzer mix, and 3 cats, Guinness, a tortoiseshell, Murphina, a tonkinese and Mackeson, a calico tabby.