Life & Work with Katherine Knapik

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Knapik.

Hi Katherine, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Oh man, well my story starts when I was super little. My parents used to be professional photographers and my mother owned a custom frame shop, so I was just surrounded by artwork as a kid.

When I got to about 5th grade, I started taking art classes at the North Brevard Art League in Florida, and that’s where I learned to paint. I learned acrylics too but my favorite was always watercolor so that’s what I pursued. There was a lot of instruction from my teacher Ms. Val at the beginning, but the longer I did it, and when I eventually aged out of their youth classes, I just kept working at it on my own.

Finally, I got to a place where I was proud enough of my work to sell it, and so that’s when I started getting serious about taking commissions and selling prints! That was about 2 years ago, so that’s where I am now and you’re all caught up!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
So everyone faces some obstacles, right? How lame would it be if I didn’t? I think there were and still are two main challenges to really continuing to grow my business. The first being just getting myself out there.

It’s disheartening to go to an art fair and sell nothing, and it’s frustrating to get 100 views on Instagram but not make any sales. Unfortunately, social media followers do not translate into people buying your art. The second major challenge is trying to not fall into a rut of what people want you to be.

My neighborhood has a bunch of lovely tropical houses, and I take a lot of commissions from people who want their houses painted. While that ends up being great money, it also means when I am trying to sell the art I like to make, I just get a bunch of people saying “oh hey you’re the house girl!”

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So I’m a watercolor artist! I’m also a SCAD student, and while taking production design and illustration classes, I absolutely fell in love with landscape watercolors all over again. So that’s what I make!

I make commissions, and I sell prints and originals on my online store and at art markets! What makes my style interesting is how fast the brushwork is, and that I almost always incorporate ink drawings on top of the watercolor. I don’t think of my work as paintings; I think of them as drawings.

I also would say my art is heavily inspired by early impressionists, so I take a lot of the impressionist look and apply it to watercolors, which gets you a pretty unique look!

What makes you happy?
Being in nature makes me happy. I can’t do it in the springtime because I have a crippling Oak allergy, but I love sitting outside and drawing, or just admiring the trees or the water or the rocks, and feeling the sunlight on my skin and the wind on my face.

I feel closest to God in those moments, it’s when I feel the most in touch with the world He has created for me.

Pricing:

• Prints range from $35 up to $100 depending on size
• Commissions start at $89 for 7″x10″ but vary with size
• Originals start at $65

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: kknapik.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kknapikillustration
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kknapikillustration