Originally from Frederick, MD, artist and open water swimmer (and possibly perpetual list-maker) Katie Pumphrey came to Baltimore to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Katie has lived and worked in the Highlandtown Arts District for 10 years. She can be found most days in her studio at Crown Cork & Seal, working on up to a half dozen large paintings at once, which allows her to “problem solve” as she works, shifting between pieces when she’s creatively stuck.
Katie’s large canvases are built by hand, allowing her to customize the size of her acrylic- and spray paint-covered works. Her studio includes a woodshop corner, painting wall, break room, sculpture area, storage, desk and lots of little surprises like dinosaur toys and hidden notes from her sister.
Recently, Katie has expanded her work to include sculptural pieces made using inflatable plastic beach toys filled with spray foam and fiber filling, which she plans to exhibit as a large hanging sculpture. Her work explores the tension and connection between chaos and calm and she often pulls inspiration from the water and swimming.
When working, she prefers to put on a TV show she’s seen a million times as background noise and snacks on candy, especially Skittles, Twizzlers and Warheads.
Katie lives in Butchers Hill with her husband and two dogs, and is also preparing for her next big open water swim of the English Channel in July 2022.
Photo by Side A Photography, courtesy of Southeast CDC. Katie’s 410 Flow T-shirt by SU&LOU.
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Contact: pumphreykatie@gmail.com