Rising Stars: Meet Katherine A Taylor of Santa Maria Califorina

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine A Taylor

Hi Katherine A, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am an author, illustrator, and mural artist. I create artwork that is fun, has bold bright color, and is cheerful! The purpose of my work is to spark a spontaneous smile from the viewer and to make the world a little happier. I am a self-taught artist, and I began painting when I was in my late 20’s. At the time I was in an unhappy marriage, and I went through a divorce. Emotionally spent, I started painting in the middle of the night because I could not sleep. At this time in my life, I was also incredibly stressed because I was trying to manage an undiagnosed chronic illness. I had chronic bronchitis, hives, and UTI infections which I managed in secret for years. Refusing to fall into the darkness of depression, I visited numerous Dr’s seeking a diagnosis. Instead of obsessing about my failed marriage and health problems, I amped-up my focus on painting. For years I worked a 40-hour weekday job and at night I emersed myself in practicing painting and drawing. I taught myself illustration, watercolor painting, mural painting and digital design. On the weekends, I pounded the pavement seeking venues to show my artwork and I painted murals. Over time my pieces found homes in coffee houses, libraries, and private homes. I painted murals at schools, Children’s Hospital of Orange (CHOC) health clinics, and won an art in Public Places grant with the city of Brea. I also donated numerous paintings to Children’s Hospitals, libraries, and non-profit organizations for fundraisers and taught watercolor classes at my local library and at the OC fair.

At age 40 after having chronic bronchitis for most of my adult life, and meeting with over 30 specialists, I was referred to an immunologist who diagnosed me with a rare primary immunodeficiency also known as Hypogammaglobulinemia which I learned causes me to be increasing susceptible to infection. To treat my infections, 10 years ago I started receiving weekly IVIG Plasma infusions at home, which I will need for life.
In my search for a diagnosis, I attended more Dr. appointments than most people will see in a lifetime! Through these experiences, I learned life is easier if you listen to your body, stay positive, find your passion, and celebrate the little miracles each day. During my health journey, I noticed the artwork in most doctors’ offices were depressing landscapes. On occasion, I would find myself in an office where the artwork was bright and cheerful. I felt so much healthier emotionally in those spaces! This is how I realized my purpose: to create cheerful, healing artwork to spark spontaneous smiles from the viewer and make the world a little happier!
Through this journey of self-discovery, I also adopted two dogs, met lifelong friends, and I fell in love again at age 48 when I met my handsome, kind, fun, supportive husband!

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?
The major obstacle in my career as an artist has always been finding a way to get paid enough for my work and pay my basic living expenses without having to work a second full-time job. Creating and making art is my passion and selling artwork is a constant hustle. My vision with my work has always been to make the world a little happier and my goal is to be a best-selling children’s book author/illustrator and to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship or a large private sponsorship, so I have the financial backing to provide free artwork & Silly Food Books to places that can use extra joy like hospitals, social service organizations, and homeless shelters. This is my vision because like Picaso I too believe “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I wrote, illustrated and self-published my 1st picture book on Amazon under the pseudonym K. Emory Taylor: ABC Book of Silly Food. Because I struggled to read, I created fun, bright colorful illustrations to help children learn to read the words. I believe every child can learn to read just as everyone has the skills to draw. By the end of this year my goal is to self-publish a 2nd ABC Book of Silly Food in Spanish, I am currently creating a series of Silly Food reading and counting books. As a chalk mural artist, I paint/chalk large murals on the ground. By the Fall of this year, I will have participated in 9 chalk mural festivals throughout the state of CA and in Zion National Park. Festivals are a gift to me because I work alongside other amazing artists, and I am given a space where I can create BIG silly pieces that spark spontaneous smiles from the festival attendees and in turn make the world a little happier. The only downfall to participating in chalk festivals is they are not a paying gig. 99% of the time the festivals are fundraisers for a nonprofit organization which is an awesome way to give back to the community but unfortunately does not pay my rent. Even with these obstacles I have not lost my drive to continue to spread happiness. I also paint wall murals with BIG fun characters. I have several murals on walls in Orange County. My pieces can be found in the Walk in Clinic lobby of Children’s Hospital of Orange CHOC, Pillars Academy, three of CHOC’s off campus clinics, a bus stop in the City of Brea, La Habra Friends of Family Health Center and I also have pieces at the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford Medical Center. I hope you will join me at the next chalk festival on August 24th in Palo Alto. I will be easy to find. Just look for my enormous cowboy hat, I will be chalking a 10ft-by-10ft portrait of my Chihuahua, Patty, who is guaranteed to create some silly laughs!

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Most people describe my personality as positive, serious, silly, driven and kind. I feel super fortunate to be born into a family where my parents were in caring professions, they instilled in me the core values of compassion, accountability, hard work, and resilience. I grew up in Southern California and Central California which brought challenges and gifted me with amazing life-long friendships. Our family lived in different areas throughout the state of CA for my father’s career advancements and I attended three different elementary schools by the time I was in 3rd grade. This was in the 1970’s when schools did not have accommodation for children who had learning disabilities, and I struggled in school. I repeated 2nd grade because I could not read or spell as well as the other children in my class. To this day I have vivid memories of how hard it was for me to learn to read and crying over taking tests. I always knew I was different than the other children in my peer group. Because I repeated a grade, I was older than the kids in my class & due to an early growth spurt I was a foot taller. In 2nd grade I was on a field trip when one of girls noticed the pupil in my right eye was larger than the one in my left eye. After seeing multiple Dr’s, I was diagnosed with an Adies pupil (which as an adult has progressed into Ross Syndrome). This extremely rare neurological syndrome causes the pupil in my right eye to be fixed and dilated which is the reason I always wear tinted glasses. As crazy as it sounds, I credit my dilated eye for my success as an artist. I see the world differently which has given my artwork a distinct identifiable voice and style.

Pricing:

• $9.99 for the ABC Book of Silly Food

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.poetryfrog.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetry_frog
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Poetryfrog
• Other: ABC Book of Silly Food” now available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/5nB3fto

Image Credits
Photos of me with the two Big Dogs are from the 2024 I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival in Santa Barbara – photographer Wayne Renshaw
Photos of me in the jeans and Big Hat holding the ABC Book of Silly Food – photographer Nick Taylor
Photo of me as a 13-year-old with Colleen Eckmark – photographer Grace Kennan
Photo of me on the beach – photographer Dennis Manning