Katie Nelson

Born and raised in Southern California, Katie Nelson excelled academically and found her self-expression through dance until a knee injury forced her to stop dancing. As a Senior in high school, she discovered an interest in visual art. Unfortunately, her parents discouraged this career path. Katie obtained her Master’s Degree in Nursing, and after more than 20 years in the healthcare industry, she retired and moved to Puerto Rico with her husband, Brad, to reconnect with Nature and find inspiration.

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Soon after moving to the island and experiencing Category 5 Hurricane Maria, Katie started playing with pencil drawings. Around the same time, she met her paternal biological family and collaborated with her cousin, poetess Ronda Miller, receiving acclaim for her illustrations in the award-winning children’s book, “I Love the Child.” This gave Katie the confidence boost to expand into various media, subjects, and styles.

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Katie believes that self-expression through visual media provides an anonymous means to communicate. It’s a sharing of perspective, seen and unseen, that results in a connecting of spirit. A meeting place where two souls can share an experience without ever meeting. This can be an appreciation of natural beauty or the emotion found within the lines of human form.

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“I can’t limit myself to a specific media because when a vision or inspiration appears, it feels like a specific media will communicate that image better. For example, sometimes the grittiness of graphite or charcoal will convey a raw emotion, whereas, at other times, the soft blending of vibrant pastels sets a romantic or even melancholic mood. Once I have my tools, it’s time to crank up the music and let the dream flow into reality.”