Katelyn Wells
In truth, I’ve never found it easy to talk about myself whether that’s in person or even on social media. But, I also know, that as an artist it is important to be able to share your journey with others!
So, with that being said, we’ll start all the way at the beginning! Art has always been a part of my life. I’ve seen so many photos of myself as a little kid painting or working on various crafts. Sometimes I wonder if I was born already holding a paintbrush. But in reality I grew up surrounded by art. My dad, grandma, grandpa, and great-grandma were all artists in their own respects. My dad, I like to think of as a jack-of-all-trades who could make anything you asked him to. My grandma, she makes the most beautiful quilts and stained glass, my grandpa is a talented woodworker and craftsman and my great-grandma was an oil painter. When I was little, watching them was magic. Seeing them create something out of nothing but their imaginations was inspiring. And it is all thanks to them, to my family, that I’ve made it this far as an artist.
Throughout High School I’d enter into any local fairs, art competitions, gallery expositions, ect. that I could find. I also participated in as many art related classes and extracurriculars that were offered which included everything from making decorations for school dances to painting a mural as the backdrop for my graduating class’s ceremony. So, it should come as no surprise that when it came to college, picking a major was about the easiest decision I had to make at the time. I began my college journey immediately after high school in 2014 at Lane Community College joining their graphic design program. However, by the end of my second year there I came to the realization that while I liked graphic design I was more passionate about my fine art projects. I found that the hours I spent in the studio seemed to fly by. Wanting to follow my passion I ended up transferring to the University of Oregon where I studied fine art for the next three years. It was the best decision I ever made!
I loved the classes and community there! It’s also where I started to hone in on my own style. During an art history class we were brought to the special collections archive in the university library and the class was presented with an array of beautiful illuminated manuscripts. Some were hundreds of years old while others were thousands. I ended up basing one of my final projects off of these books using vellum, ink and gold-leaf. Around the same time I was also taking a photography class where the assignment was to capture pop’s of color. Black and white images with a single highlighted color. If you’ve seen any of my artwork, then you probably already know where I am going with this. I loved how striking the photographs turned out and I also enjoyed the versatility and challenges the ink offered me. With the ink I could paint intricate and dimensional pieces and add on to them playing with the lighting or color using either gold-leaf or watercolors. And although I do also enjoy working with acrylics, oils, and other mediums too, ink became my go-to staple.
In 2019 I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art with a minor in art history from the University of Oregon.
Since then I’ve been met with a lot of ups and downs. The same year I graduated my family opened up our own Gallery. This was an exciting time, however short lived, as the next year in 2020 Covid hit, meaning we like so many others, were forced to shut down. We managed to keep the Gallery afloat for a couple more years until we finally had to shut the doors permanently. Between this, some health concerns in my family and a lot of self doubt I moved back home and changed career paths for a time working in education as an aide. Working at the school was an experience and I did enjoy being back home with family. However, it felt as though I had put a pause on my life and goals during this time. The paths I had always taken before seemed centered around art and around creativity, but suddenly that was no longer the case. I spent a couple years working for the school before my parents finally gave me the nudged I needed to reach out to other galleries to sell my artwork (which up until that point had only been collecting dust in storage). I took their advice and brought my artwork to the Peephole Gallery in Yachats, Oregon. I sold my first piece within the first few weeks of it being there which helped to reignite my passion and redirect my focus back onto my goals.
I am now working as a full time artist. Being inspired by my home in the Pacific Northwest. And getting back to what I am and have always been passionate about, Art!
Progression: The artworks displayed below are progression images showing where I started as an artist vs. where I am today.
2009 (middle school)
2014 (senior year, high school)
2023 (current)