About the Artist
Katy L. Casillas-Gray
My emotional state and perception of an experience nudge their way into each of my paintings without my complete awareness. Some paintings exhibit bold, bright colors with a variety of brushstrokes and whimsical designs while others have a more reflective and subdued tone. My favorite subject matter are human individuality and form as well as the wondrous designs and color found in nature.
My educational background in art began informally at the kitchen table with Crayola crayons as a little girl. (This may be why I love the smell of Crayola crayons.) I developed beyond crayons with after-school art classes and specialized high school elective art before pursuing a college art degree with a teaching certification. Several years after graduating and working with children, I returned to school. This time my focus was on the skincare and beauty industry. Armed with an Esthetician license, my new canvas became the human body and my paintbrush was traded for a makeup brush and expensive miracle creams. It wasn’t until years later that I refocused and made a decision to turn my passion for painting and creating into a career and way of life. My art career is continually evolving as I find new ways to express my creativity and share it with the world.
“My ultimate goal as an artist is to weave a vibrant tapestry of positive emotions through my abstract and figurative creations. I achieve this by harnessing a kaleidoscope of colors along with a diverse blend of media while creating layers upon the canvas until the emotions within me are spilled out and transformed into a representation of what I experience in my inner world. I carry the hope that my art, poetry, and classes inspire others to see beauty in their world, choose courage over fear, and treat themselves and others with love.
"Life is only as beautiful as we choose for it to be at any given moment in time."
