H
er work caught my eye for
the first time two years ago when
a friend and I were shopping along
the Perry District on South Hill.
One painting, Moon Over Majesty,
pulled at me and my affinity for
all things moose. Haunting and
dreamlike, it not only stopped me
in my tracks, it made me curious
about the artist. When I finally
pulled my eyes off it long enough
to look at the other paintings, I
found them to be just as intriguing
and all by the same person, Katrina
Brennan. Since that day I’ve
followed her career on Facebook,
and am now pleased to share her
story with you.
Katrina, where are you from?
Katrina: I was born and raised in
Spokane. I moved to Coeur d’
Alene for about a year when I was
19 but ended up moving back to
Spokane to focus on and finish
college at EWU, where I got my
B.A. in teaching and elementary
education.
What first drew you into creating art?
Katrina: I’ve loved art since I
was a kid, but I really became
focused on it in my early 20s,
when I was getting my Elementary
Education degree at EWU. That’s
where I excelled at ceramics and
imaginative paintings in acrylic.
I later switched to oils, and back
to acrylics again. I’m always
changing. The style I have now is
the most consistent that I’ve been.
I’m like a leaf on a river. I just kind
of go wherever. No paddle, just
whatever.
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
When did you decide to join the Spokane art scene?
Katrina: About eleven years ago I began slowly and steadily showing my work in the
community. Now I do around four to five First Fridays a year. If someone needs an
artist last minute for their business I’ll gladly step up if I have the time.
Did (or do) you have a mentor or someone you look up to as an artist?
Katrina: I suppose as far as a mentor, I did make friends with a professor at EWU, Mr.
Hawkins. (I hope I’m remembering his name correctly. It’s been 18 years.) He taught
Art for Teachers and exhibited a passion for art in the schools that I’d never seen
before. He got choked up a few times while teaching and sharing his stories. I think
he was correct as well — that art isn’t as important as it should be in schools. That’s
one of the reasons so many elementary schools in the Mead District have docent
programs, where volunteers (mostly parents) teach art as little as once a month.