I create because I am compelled to - it has been the tilt of my life since I was a child, though back then it was an experience in working with what was around me - arranging leaves and twigs, collecting and observing rocks, feathers, shells, and fabric scraps.

I create art with a focus on the process while responding to and revealing the different ways I experience the world around me. It encompasses the thoughts in my head, the emotions I experience, and the places I love to visit and explore.

Over a decade ago I packed up my life and my car for a new adventure. New Orleans was supposed to be a brief stop on my way out west, but falling in love with New Orleans can change your plans and your life, and it has been my home since. I still take a long escape to the west that calls me for inspiration and altitude. At heart, I am a North Carolina girl, born and raised there in the woods; the kind that is well acquainted with rivers and trees and says things like y’all. I received my degree in studio art with a concentration in painting from Elon University in 2003.

Contact me if you are in New Orleans and would like to see my artwork in person - I am happy to coordinate and make that happen.

Kat Ryalls is a New Orleans artist living and working in the Bayou St. John neighborhood.

Please visit my personal website here: www.katryalls.com

Describe your art in three words. Experience, process and emotion

Describe yourself in one word. Whirling.

Who are your artistic influences or gurus? My first artistic and creative influences come from my family members. I grew up surrounded by quilters; a mess of fabric scraps, paths and patterns of quilting threads. My father turned every home improvement project into an extravagant handcrafted experiment. I loved helping out in his woodworking shed, and he would give me my own projects to problem solve. I think my work is still greatly influenced by those childhood experiences.

Where can we find you when you are not creating art? Outside.

What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year? Early morning; when all is still and quiet.

All works listed online are available to be viewed at Where Y’Art Gallery by appointment.

Available on Whereyartworks.com

All orders will be shipped within 5 business days via USPS Priority and includes insurance, tracking and signature confirmation upon delivery. Each painting is carefully packaged to prevent damage during transit. All prices are quoted for within the US.

For international shipping prices, rush orders or commissions, login in and send me a private message through the messaging tool on my profile page.