Katherine Ford is a dyed-in-the-wool Wisconsinite who has sketched for personal enjoyment her whole life as she pursued a career in public service. For the last 15 years she has shifted her creative focus to an exploration of watercolor painting and to develop a unique body of work that celebrates the rural world that surrounds her.

Ford’s subject matter has evolved over the years from a focus on extreme close ups of flowers to include animals, landscapes, mechanicals, and still-life. Her artistic attention focuses on finding beauty in commonly overlooked subjects. She is drawn to rustic surfaces and textures resulting from age and use. Her images evoke callused hands and knowledge gained by years of experience. Current paintings celebrate the artistry of under-appreciated and too often invisible occupations showcasing work benches people use to “make things” using their highly developed skills, problem solving, and knowledge gained through experience.