Born in southern Idaho, Kathryn grew up along the Snake River Canyon with her brother and three sisters. Together they took care of the animals in their family’s corral—horses, burros, sheep, pigs, two pure white mules, and a dog named Coke. It was from this corral that she began drawing long eared critters adorned with fine apparel - the inspiration for Muledred, her first picture book.

Idaho had more inspiration to offer. The year she turned nine, her family spent their weekends building their cherished Brown Bear Cabin in the Sawtooth Mountains. Though constructed without electricity or running water, the Brown Bear Cabin holds no limits when it comes to having fun. In fact, it’s abuzz with creek-wading, camp cooking, belly laughing, backpacking, elk tracking, trout fishing, bug collecting, stone skipping, flower pressing, bear hugging, guitar picking, and fiddle playing. It’s a place to ride a horse on a moonlit trail, or curl up in a sleeping bag under the stars while the ‘crick’ murmurs a lullaby.

Kathryn has resided in western Massachusetts for some time. But no matter the distance, she and her grown daughter, Frankie, make an annual trip to the Brown Bear Cabin – the family romping grounds. Having access to the vast and wild west, "stirs my imagination like a gust of wind.”  Meanwhile, the quaintness of New England, with its narrow country lanes tunneling through towering trees creates coziness for cocooning—“the best environment for me to write and paint.”

Situated near the Connecticut River in Massachusetts, Kathryn’s studio thrives.