Katie Leimbach

Painting Memory, Nature and Inner Landscapes

Katie Leimbach is a Brooklyn-based painter whose work draws on memory, natural forms, and a deep sense of place. Born in Oregon and raised in Arizona, she grew up between two dramatically different terrains – lush forests and dry desert – which continue to shape her visual language. Her paintings evoke dreamlike spaces where emotion, intuition and memory merge.

Working primarily with acrylics on canvas, Katie layers translucent paint to create subtle movement and depth. The moon, mirrored shapes and natural forms appear throughout her work – motifs she continues to return to, allowing them to evolve over time. “I think of my paintings as portals,” she says. “Ways of accessing dreamlike spaces where reality and imagination blur.”

Between the Earth and the Unseen

Katie’s creative process is grounded in instinct. She often begins with rough sketches and small painted studies, gradually developing them into larger works. Influenced by formative female artists like Lee Krasner,Helen Frankenthaler and Hilma af Klint, Katie uses colour and form to evoke emotion. Each layer of paint is applied intuitively, with every tone chosen to shape the mood and atmosphere of the piece.

Her studio in Brooklyn has become a sanctuary – a space for both creation and connection with other artists. Inspired by nature, dreams and memories, Katie’s work explores the abstraction of the natural world and how humans interact with and reflect it, often incorporating dreamlike elements to evoke a sense of surrealism.