K

atharina Short was born in 1968 in San Jose, California. Some of her earliest memories were of running through flowering pink cherry orchards across the street from her house. As a child, Katharina had a love of color and independence. She often threatened to run away from home wearing her favorite purple tights.

Raised in the picturesque and accepting town of Santa Cruz, California with her sister Henriette, her days were spent on the beach getting into trouble. Since as far back as she can remember, art had always been a source of salvation for her impatient and creative temperament. In high school she spent most of her time in the art room lost in the freedom of creative expression.

In junior college Katharina was headed for a career in Physical Therapy. Through courses in anatomy and physiology she learned toappreciate the beauty and form of the human body in detail. However, in her artwork today she often leaves out joints and points of articulation altogether, reserving the human form to soft circular shapes and arcs.

Taking a needed break from the academic world, she took a job as a waitress in order to pay for traveling the world.  These moves were the most definitive in her path toward becoming an artist; waitressing and traveling to Brazil, Thailand, and Mexico gave her a feeling for freedom and an understanding of people from varying backgrounds.

Upon returning, Katharina found that she’d been deeply influenced by the colors and simple lifestyles of the tropics. She’d found a new respect for the quiet meditative daily activities of the non- western world’s approach towards life. Although she took a few art classes in college, Katharina says she considers herself a self-taught artist. Her primary influences are the folk artists of the world. In addition she cites Gaugin, Matisse, Chagall, The Fauvists, Picasso, and many other artists working with rich palettes as inspirational in her art.

After experimenting with color and content Katharina found her style and built up a body of work. Her first solo show was in 1995. The wonderful response to her paintings encouraged her to continue her work.

Our lives are full of stories, and putting them into color and form is a challenge for all of us. Katharina feels this is where the folk art of her work comes to light. It is apparent that she is willing to share her joys and sorrows through her work, which has an inward focus and peaceful feeling.

Katharina has sold over 1,000 original paintings in the last 15 years, including 75 privately commissioned works. Her art has also been commissioned publicly for the 2001 Bike to Work Poster Day for Santa Cruz County, and the Santa Cruz Aids Project Poster Award. In 2001 she was voted "Best Visual Artist" in the Good Times Reader Poll. She is currently featured in The Artful Home and has original works as well as prints available for sale on the guild.com website.

Katharina lives in Santa Cruz, California with her husband Aaron, twin sons Zander and Rowan, their 2 dogs Laika and Turbo and their cat Abbie.. When she’s not painting, Katharina can be found puttering around in her garden or mountain biking in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains.