Kata developed as an artist over the last four decades since graduating with the highest award from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1979.

First living in Charleston, Kata created murals for many of the best nightclubs and restaurants and won a Platinum Addy Award for one of her illustrations. Kata was the co-creator, fundraiser and advertising supervisor for The Unicorn Ball. This event created a venue for the citizens of Charleston to meet Gian Carlo Menotti (the founder of Charleston’s world renowned arts festival which is named The Spoleto Festival).

Then moving to Long Island, Kata created pieces for clients like Gentleman’s Quarterly Magazine, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Newsday New York, Preservation Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine and Paris France’s ROCK&FOLK.

Later in Nashville Kata began a series of paintings focusing on Elvis. The work playfully narrated “Elvis Sightings” and helped germinate her future body of work which includes Kata’s favorite rock and roll icons from the sixties and seventies.

Three of Kata’s first collectors were Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and The Tennessee State Museum. As this body of work grew, the list of famous collectors grew. Within that list are Julia Roberts, R.E.M., Willie Nelson, Jon Bon Jovi, The William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Jimmy Vaughan, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins etc.

In 2002 Kata returned to school for her M.F.A . Her Master’s Thesis entitled Let Jesus OUT of The Box: The Case for an Emotional Jesus in Painting. Kata asserts that within the entire lifespan of imagery surrounding Jesus -there are only a handful of paintings that picture him as an emotional being.

Kata lived in Colorado with her husband for about ten years. While living there she developed a new venue for her work through eBay.

Currently KATA and her husband live in Cadiz Kentucky (about an hour north of Nashville TN.) and run her gallery called RockandRollIconArt. Kata is currently working on a new large painting with a genre scene set in a 70’s living home interior (equip with poodle lamps, orange velvet sofa and kitchy floral sunroom). The narrative involves Mick Jagger, his two black girlfriends and their ‘straight’ Mother and Father. Again, KATA is juxtaposing the 70’s ideas of sexuality, fame and every day life in the 70’s with today’s morals and customs. 

 

Kata will also be travelling to a few indoor art show venues each year and may be looking for few show locations outside her gallery. More information about these venues will be announced on this site as they are planned.

 

A new website (and corresponding book) is being developed by KATA in the coming year about her graduate Thesis work ; Let Jesus OUT of The Box: The Case for an Emotional Jesus in Painting