Katie Petersen
Katie Petersen’s artistic journey is shaped by a lifelong immersion in creativity, guided by the encouragement of her family and the discipline of formal education. With a mother who fostered a creative spirit and an aunt who designed costumes for the Omaha Playhouse, she grew up in an environment where art, music, and storytelling were valued. However, it was a pivotal moment at thirteen—attending a summer program called College for Kids—that cemented her passion for the arts. In a weeklong pencil drawing course, she was introduced to the discipline of looking versus seeing, and for the first time, she saw art as a professional pursuit.
Her artistic practice took root in drawing and printmaking during her undergraduate years at Doane University. However, a painting class in her junior year reshaped her trajectory, leading her to pursue an MFA at Fort Hays University with an emphasis on painting. While painting has remained her primary medium, she maintains a strong drawing practice, believing that each discipline informs the other.
Exploration is central to her process. She cycles through different mediums, always eager to push boundaries and discover new techniques. Yet, no matter the form, her work consistently returns to two elements: the figure and narrative. She is drawn to the intimacy of painting the human form, where vulnerability is both subject and method. Narrative plays an equally vital role—her pieces evolve through a visual storytelling structure, echoing a beginning, middle, and resolution much like the process of creation itself.
Influences like Antony Gormley, Bo Bartlett, and Peter Doig inform her approach, particularly in their use of the figure within abstraction, symbolism, and gesture. Their ability to evoke presence and emotion within space resonates with her own explorations of physicality and personal experience.
Ritual plays a significant role in her creative practice. Before embarking on a new body of work, she immerses herself in small watercolor studies, creating anywhere from twenty to fifty miniature paintings. This phase allows her to identify recurring visual tendencies, refine her ideas, and develop a conceptual framework for larger pieces. Conversations, literature, and journaling fuel her inspiration, often leading to unexpected imagery—like her recent painting of a woman crushing eggs on her head. Inspired by a friend's studio, where a bowl of broken eggs sat on a desk, she began researching idioms about eggs and their symbolic associations with discomfort, fragility, and tension. This exploration ultimately led her to examine the pressures of womanhood, the concept of "walking on eggshells," and how societal expectations shape identity.
A typical day in her creative life is structured yet fluid. She begins early, preparing for lectures or immersing herself in the studio. Audiobooks and music accompany her as she paints, often engaging with works on goal-setting and overcoming fear. After leaving the studio in the evening, she shifts her focus—practicing French, journaling, or engaging in non-art-related activities that replenish her creative energy.
Like all artists, she experiences creative blocks, but she no longer fears them. Instead, she embraces them as part of the natural cycle. When inspiration wanes, she steps outside, explores new activities, and continues making small sketches without overthinking. Over time, she has learned that these moments of stillness are necessary precursors to creative breakthroughs.
One of her most ambitious and rewarding projects involved an installation inspired by her scoliosis diagnosis. She painted large-scale versions of her X-rays and designed an ethereal, floating structure where fluorescent backlighting illuminated the translucent panels. Unlike anything she had done before, the project required her to navigate new materials and construction methods, relying on intuition and problem-solving. Seeing the final installation come to life reaffirmed her belief in pushing artistic boundaries, and it remains one of her most cherished works.
At the heart of her art lies a message of self-reflection and physical presence. She challenges viewers to reconsider their relationships with their own bodies and, more recently, to deconstruct societal expectations of women. As she moves forward, she is deepening her focus on themes of femininity, identity, and the tension between personal autonomy and external perception.
For Petersen, success is not defined by external validation but by consistency, discipline, and artistic growth. She believes that maintaining a rigorous studio practice is the key to long-term fulfillment. Her aspirations include more solo exhibitions, expanded participation in artist residencies, and the development of new mixed-media installations.
One of the most transformative experiences in her career was traveling to Finland and France for artist residencies. The friendships and creative exchanges from those journeys expanded her perspective, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and cultural dialogue in her work. She continues to seek collaborative opportunities, whether through group exhibitions, interdisciplinary projects, or partnerships with writers and musicians.
To emerging artists, she offers simple but profound advice: Set a schedule. Keep creating. Apply for opportunities, and don’t be afraid of rejection—because rejection means you are trying, and that is something to be celebrated.
Currently, Petersen is delving deeper into mixed-media installations, particularly within the realm of feminist narratives. Her upcoming series continues to explore the complexities of womanhood, embodiment, and societal constructs. As she expands her artistic practice, one thing remains constant—her commitment to authenticity, self-exploration, and pushing the boundaries of storytelling through art.
