Ever since I could hold crayons in between my fingers, I’ve believed creativity would always hold a significant place in my life and identity. Throughout growing up, the creative spirit within me felt lost as deep perfectionism led to the development of a hyper-realist style of art. It wasn't until college when I began shifting toward abstraction - seeking its freedom and the rediscovery of creativity.

I graduated from Michigan State University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts and Humanities and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with a first concentration in Painting, second concentration in Ceramics, and minor in Graphic Design. At that time, I still had yet to fully release myself from adding moments of realism within my mostly abstract work - still unsure of how to fully be released from perfectionism in life.

In 2018, I began walking through a season of deep sufferings, bringing me to my knees in surrender, yet in that surrender I found freedom. That season, even in the midst of hardship, allowed me to fully and finally embrace the freedom of abstraction in painting.

The creative process is a place I now come to as a way of untangling the darkness and pain in my own life and in this world, while seeking and sharing the light, joy, purpose, and beauty we can freely receive - in the courageous moments when standing tall, and in the equally courageous moments when freedom meets us at our knees.

After calling Michigan my only earthly home for my first 27 years of life, I moved to British Columbia in 2022, where I now live with my husband, Joshua, and our sweet pup, Luna. In 2023, I became a permanent resident of Canada after much prayer and deep patience. The mountains, rushing rivers, and greenest of trees are my new neighbors – and what an abundant gift of inspiration this new home is. I look forward with wide-eyed wonder for what God has set before me, and the stories He awaits to share through each painting to come.

Follow along on Instagram @kaitlynrose.artist