Drawing inspiration from international folklore and childhood fantasy films, Katy Horan creates imagery with her own, unique language and neo-traditional aesthetic. Her work has the disarming qualities of children's illustration while putting forward some intriguing motifs and narratives that add a layer of depth. Using a natural palette with muted tones adds to the feeling of calm that her work evokes.Originally from Texas, she received her BFA in 2003 and has been something of a wandering star living and exhibiting in several cities. Katy now works and resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Can you tell us a little background history to yourself and the development of your work?
I can be a little ADD sometimes, so my path has not been the most direct one. For the longest time, I wanted to illustrate Children’s books. I went to art school and majored in Illustration. I tried a lot of different approaches to art and my style fluctuated a lot. I even dabbled in set design and animation. Seriously, I could never sit still artistically.
After I moved to Brooklyn, I kept creating work to build my Illustration portfolio, but my style continued to stray from what children’s book publishers look for, so I got many rejection letters. At that point, I was really inspired by the art coming out of LA and San Francisco, so I just started switching my focus in that direction and luckily at one point galleries started to show. So now, I work on telling stories through individual paintings and drawings that hang on a wall rather than in a book. I do really hope to find a way to create books in the future.
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