Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Tyler.
Hi Katie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in Upstate NY, I graduated from Pratt Institute in 2008 with an Associate in Art Education degree. I decided I wanted to be an Art Teacher. My high school Art Teacher was a huge reason for this. I would not be the artist that I am today if he didn’t push me to the limits, encouraged me to try new things, and even gone to college. In my senior year of High School, he helped me with my art portfolio to enroll in Pratt at Munson Williams.
Pratt was a private Institute that took a small number of students, although this was extremely stressful it was also humbling. Attending a school with extremely talented artists was the exact experience I needed. I was no longer that “Best in class art student” I was now, just one of the many art students in a college that had no problem telling you, you are no longer the best in class. They would tell you to start over if it wasn’t good enough. Or the weekly critiques where your peers tell you what they like about your work but also what they did NOT like. This was a big change for me but one I will never regret. It made me the artist that I am today. I learned more than I could have ever imagined.
After college, I was leaning more toward the freelance idea instead of teaching. Painting whenever I wanted and painting for others was more of my passion. I started my business in 2010 in NY, by quitting my job in retail that just barely paid the bills. This was a HUGE gamble but would have never happened without the support from my husband. He always said that I was wasting my talent by not pursuing my dreams. For 12 years, I would do commission work and murals for clients. This kept me going but I always had the drive to learn more and do more.
I then started teaching “Sip and Paint” style classes in my own studio. This was a HUGE accomplishment for me. I was starting to make a bigger name for my business, Kts Art and Design. I had classes weekly, and it was a large success for a few years. Unfortunately, with covid, renting a storefront was making it very difficult. I then decided to build my own studio on my own property. The studio was completed but I never had the chance to open it up because my husband and I decided that New York just wasn’t working out for my business and for our family. Twelve years of murals, and artwork, and having a following of many supportive clients, was a little bittersweet. The people were great, but the area just wasn’t allowing my business to grow. We fell in love with Tennesse and knew we needed to take the big jump or there would have been regrets and I love to live without regrets. Sparta was the perfect place for us to start fresh! They are extremely welcoming for small businesses, and I wanted to be in middle Tennessee, which then gives me the opportunity to travel equally to and from all the major cities to do murals. Nashville has been very welcoming for murals, especially with all of the businesses and Airbnb!
So, we listed our home and moved to Sparta in September 2022. Yes, we haven’t been here that long, but I feel so much at home here. I know this was the best decision for us as a family. I started immediately advertising my business and my name as fast as I could because I wanted to dip my toes in as fast because, if I’m not painting every day, I get extremely bored fast haha. Which can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Since January 2023, I have been doing murals here in Tennessee and the opportunities seem the be endless. To meet people that appreciate art and give me the opportunity to do what I love every single day is amazing.
I don’t have a “style” and I take big pride in that. I have always enjoyed learning new things, Different paint styles, and different techniques. If I had one style that I did every day, I don’t think I would be as passionate as I am about painting. I do have a few things that I enjoy the most and that is more of the realistic style. I love the challenge of painting something and making it look less like a painting and more like a photograph. This has always been the type of work that makes me feel alive. Hearing my clients say, “I thought this was a photo, not a painting” or “Wow it looks like I can just reach out and touch it!”, those comments would make any artist happy, but especially me. I love being able to do something that I love to do, something that for as long as I can remember has always been a passion, and give that passion in a form of art to my clients to enjoy for years.
Needless to say, I will forever be a Tennessean. The acceptance from everyone here and the opportunities that keep coming up allow me to continue my art. I hope to leave my mark on the state, from little towns to big cities, I cannot wait to see where I will be in 10 years from now.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been smooth, but it defiantly has been humbling. I have never given up, there have been times when I did not think I would continue to be successful. Or times when I needed to take a break and try other things, but I have always come back to murals. I have a huge passion that helps me continue. I cannot see my life going any other way.
With my standstill in NY, the decision to move seems to be the best decision that I made.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I do not have one specific niche. I love doing work from simple minimalistic designs to extremely complex ones. I do love making work pop and stand out, the more details in my paintings the more fun in my eyes. I think that makes my murals stand out the most. But I am not opposed to simplistic work at all. The more options I have the bigger my passion goes. I love that one day I can have a client come to me asking for a simple 1-5 color mural that is mostly straight lines or shapes to walk into a job with 10+ colors and paint something so realistic that it tricks your eye.
I was once told in college by a professor that I “detail to death” which opened my eyes. I was always praised by my previous teachers that my detailing was top notch and then hearing that made me realize there is more to art than just details. Simplistic work is just as amazing as realism. I do take pride in my art, and I will make sure that my client is happy with the end result. I think the eye for detail that I have allows me to see things others might not see and this allows my work to stand out.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t think that luck has anything to do with where my business has gone. I have worked hard my whole life to prove that “the starving artist” cliche is no longer a thing.
You can always make something work if you put the time and effort into it. I do believe though that everything happens for a reason. I would not be the artist that I am today if it wasn’t for the trials and tribulations that I went through for the past 13 years of my art career. I take huge pride in my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: ktsartanddesign.square.site
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ktsartanddesign
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ktsartanddesign
