Katie Powell Brickman paints bold shapes in bright colors on white washed wood boards. She often opts for wood over canvas because of its hardiness and the beautiful grain lines that peek through the paint.

"I love the imperfections and the knots and the way it ages. I guess it felt more comfortable for me to buy materials at a hardware store than an art supply store."

Katie thinks giant grids with colorful circles make formal living rooms more comfortable - and a little more fun. "I love to see my paintings combined with more precious pieces of furniture and objects. I love the mix!"

Katie's paintings are simple and the colors are saturated and uplifting. Her use of everyday materials like plywood, book pages and hammer and nails results in an unpretentious, humble and refreshing body of work.

Katie has worked in creative services for 20ish years. Starting out as Kate and Andy Spade’s personal assistant in NYC when their company was in it's infancy and went on to work in creative services and retail marketing. Prior to living in NYC, she attended Cranbrook Kingswood a boarding school in Michigan which was designed by Eliel Saarinen. "We lived and worked among Saarinen's designs both architectural and interior. I also spent a ton of time in West Virginia at my parents home at the Greenbrier which was designed by Dorothy Draper." Living and working among the products of these creative giants no doubt inspired her love of design - specifically, clean lines, bright colors and bold shapes.