We are honored to introduce an artist newly represented by Ann Korologos Gallery: Katie DeGroot.
  
The work of Katie DeGroot explores surrealism and abstraction, nature and form, growth and decay. The artist paints tree trunks, fallen branches, and limbs found on the ground, often in the process of decay, or “natural decoration that adorn them… festooned by lichens, moss and mushrooms.” The artist brings her subjects back to her studio, sometimes even pieces as large as a 7’ section of a decaying tree she’s eyed in neighboring woods. To be a neighbor of Katie likely means she's knocked on your door and asked if she can borrow not a cup of sugar, but a decaying tree adorned in moss and mushrooms. 

Using the branches as an observational starting point, the painter responds within the language of contemporary painting. Her work is informed by Gladys Nilson, Alice Neel, Giorgio Morandi, Henri Matisse, Charles Burchfield, Barbara Takenaga, and others.  

Born in Kandahar, Afghanistan and raised in the suburbs of Boston, MA, Katie lives on her great-grandparents' farm next to the Hudson River in Fort Edward, NY after spending nearly 20 years in New York City. The oil painter turned to watercolor in 2003 during an artist residency at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY. The medium came to her naturally, its immediacy and vibrancy a natural pairing with her style.

When Katie isn't working in her studio or hauling decaying trees to it, she spends time with her husband raising cows and growing peonies for market. Explore the work and biography of Katie DeGroot, and stop in to the gallery to see these exquisite works in person. 
 
Warm Regards,
Sue Edmonds
Gallery Director
(970) 927-9668