I am a Kansas City area artist who has been creating throughout my life. I have designed several logos, and during high school I made my mark in the theatre department as a crewmember, crew head, then set designer and stage manager. I attended Shawnee Mission Northwest High School where I graduated third in my class of 390. I went on to study at the University of Kansas, where I had the opportunity to take my first real drawing and design classes and learned how to carve and print linoleum block prints. I eventually majored in Architectural Studies, which combined many of my varying interests, from engineering to history to design.
In the summer of 1998 I moved to Anchorage, Alaska with my fiancTony. It was an unforgettable adventure, where we learned how to deal with moose in the front yard, winter days of twenty degrees below zero and four hours of sun, to summer days of 1:00 AM barbecues in the sun and whale watching.
However, I wasn creating anymore. Tony and I returned to Kansas City and got married in 1999. I didn become inspired again until our daughter Paige first birthday in 2001. I created a one-of-a-kind original block print for her gift. I was so encouraged by the success of that piece that I joined the then-fledgling EBSQ online artist group. Since then, I've been successfully selling my art on online at eBay and other auction sites.
After September 11th, several other EBSQ artists and I decided to help in the one way we could, with our art. We sold pieces in eBay Auction for America. My piece hine Alabaster Cities Gleamraised $517 for the September 11th Fund and inspired and was featured in the 2002 Angels Among Us Folk Art Calendar. I was happy to be featured in the Neighborhood News section of the Kansas City Star for this piece and its success.
In the summer of 2002 I was chosen to participate in the March of the Teddy Bears project, where fiberglass teddy bears were placed in ensthroughout the city. My euro Bearraised $12,500 for charity, and my ll AEARcanwas one of the most popular bears in the March, with several pieces of merchandise created from its image.
Tony and I now have two daughters, two year old Paige and brand new Leah. While Tony creativity lies in the ability to make computers do whatever he wants them to do, I have so far only just begun to explore that realm. Currently I am staying at home with my girls, using my artwork both as a creative outlet and as my contribution to my family's financial well being.
I can always be contacted at alaskakatie@drgonzo.com if you have any questions.
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