2023 Featured Artist Katie Musolff

As a midwestern artist, I have discovered a richly layered natural world teaming with specimens to collect and stories to tell. Making this work is like being a kid again - going outside to find what little adventures lay beyond the back door and coming home, to the studio, jacket pockets packed with treasures. -Katie Musolff

Katie Musolff is a perceptive connoisseur of the natural world, who skillfully captures the essence of plants and animals she encounters in the backwaters of the Mississippi River and the surrounding landscape of her farm located to the north of Milwaukee. Her current portfolio features meticulously executed watercolor and gouache paintings, which poignantly showcase her  care and attention to detail. Musolff’s style involves a steadfast commitment to working from life, with the goal of evoking the sense of marvel that initially drew her to her subjects.

One of her notable creations, the Peregrine Falcon painting, was a product of keen observation and thoughtful execution. As a long-standing exhibitor at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Musolff had the opportunity to observe the falcon family residing in Burton Tower. In 2022, she collected feathers from the base of the tower and painted a falcon from life, as a tribute to the magnificent artistry and natural splendor of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

A graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art Design, holding a B.F.A. in painting, Musolff's work has been showcased across the United States, and she has received numerous accolades in her field. Her home and studio are located on her farm to the north of Milwaukee.