Katie Emmitt
Fine Artist, Instructor. Specializing in Pastel Portraiture.
Katie is a fine artist based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. She has been creating art her entire life, but first began seriously studying drawing, painting, and ceramics as a High School freshman. She quickly developed her realism drawing and oil painting skills which earned her several awards, scholarships to top art colleges – as well as her first commissions – all before the age of 18.
In 2014, Katie graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in Painting. At the time, Katie was primarily doing portraits and figure drawings of people – exploring her love of psychology, meditation, and movement through her artwork.
After college, Katie began taking on more commissions, and her love of teaching landed her a few jobs teaching acrylic painting, realistic drawing, and ceramics – both publicly and privately.
During this time, she discovered her love of pastel portraiture. As more and more pet portrait commissions came rolling in, Katie developed a unique skillset for drawing domesticated animals in pastel.
Today, she primarily utilizes PanPastel and Pastel Pencil for her realistic portraiture on PastelMat.
Katie’s Thoughts on Creating Custom Portraiture:
“I have been a very sensitive and observant person my entire life: feeling out energies, understanding what’s been left un-said, getting to the true essence of the spirit that lies within something. I have always had a deep love and appreciation for the natural world, including animals.
It feels like such a gift to be able to render and capture what I see in a realistic way. I always do my best to feel into the energy of a being and try to not only capture their likeness and the spark in their eyes, but also capture their spirit and essence and let it shine through the piece.
Getting to create portraits for people of their loved ones (both furry and human!) has been such a blessing for me. There is nothing better than knowing that the artwork I’ve created is cherished so deeply and brings someone a sense of joy, love, or wholeness – especially in memorial portraits. I like to think that the art I create can be healing and comforting to my clients on their journey through life.”
