Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie M. Berggren

Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

My name is Katie m. Berggren (yep, Katie, not Kim 😊)
My favorite to make is… motherhood! I love capturing skin to skin and the way bodies fold together. I love the way hair can flow and dance and interact. I love energy and movement and sparkle and glow. My favorite method to capture motherhood with is by putting acrylic paint on paper or canvas. Using brushes, or my fingers 😊

How I got Started: Most artsy people, it seems, will tell you they’ve been creating for as long as they can remember, in some way shape or form. I’ve been drawing since I was 5 or 6. Through high school and college I dabbled with colored pencils, paint, digital art, pen and ink, alcohol-based markers, and pencil. My first business I started in High School, creating pencil portraits for families. My second business was as a logo and graphic designer, after college. Once I had my first baby I *KNEW* I was meant to capture motherhood – and once I put paint to his wall for a mural I *KNEW* I was meant to use paint on canvas. That’s how it all started ~ about 20 years ago!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

It has not always been smooth, but I keep my head up high. The biggest struggle I currently face is finding my place and getting my work out there in a very noisy and busy online world.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

Becoming a mother triggered my urge to capture moments of nurture, strength, surrender and affection ~ holding my beautiful first baby, I realized the relationship that he deserved with his mama. Again, I found the beauty in the little moments of our lives. And I realized the importance of SEEING him.

For about 18 years I created paintings inspired exclusively by the moments between mother and child ~ my goal is still to honor these moments and encourage stopping and realizing the beauty and blessings we have within our families. I hope to inspire mothers to look into their children’s faces and recognize the tenderness of a child’s heart and feelings.

However, as my children have grown, my subject matter has shifted slightly to the woman alone, the woman becoming her own person, rising from her own struggles and finding her place.

I am inspired daily by the people around me. The relationships between family members, the way a mother speaks to her child, the way two people can connect by means of eye-contact, touch, laughter, conversation and listening…

I am a constant student of sociology, philosophy and psychology as it plays out in our everyday lives. I use my paint and canvas to speak about the importance of finding real human connection in a busy, disconnected and shallow world; the importance of reaching out to another soul, especially those alone & the small ones, to really see, listen to, and feel with them.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?

Growing up as the fourth child in a family that lived in the country, I spent a lot of time doodling and drawing, writing and creating things with my brothers and my sister (and my grandma who always brought craft stuff and made play-doh when she came to visit!). I think the joy for creation started there.

As I grew, my older brother’s drawings inspired me – he created intricate line drawings and pages that I could color with markers. They were really cool! I think seeing my sister and both of my brothers drawing helped to cement the creative urge into me.

So, I would say that my favorite parts of childhood were the creative ones and the ones in nature. I incorporate trees and rivers, leaves, butterflies and more into my paintings now, and that could be why :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shop.kmberggren.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmberggrenart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kmberggrenfanpage/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kmberggren
• Other: https://linktr.ee/kmberggrenart