Meet Katie Podracky | Artist & Painting Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Podracky and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
In my opinion, the two most important factors behind success are resilience and integrity. I can only speak from my own experience here, but for me, resilience means the ability to get back up and try again after failure. At first glance, my resume looks polished and clean but if I could show you the rough drafts, you’d see the truth. You might notice that I’ve been rejected from graduate programs that I had my heart set on, failed graduate school reviews, been rejected from exhibitions and painting competitions, lost in the final rounds of proposals for public art projects and more. I can’t tell you the number of paintings that I’ve ruined by trying too hard to make them “perfect.” People often see my finished art and ask me, “How long did it take you to paint that? The answer is this: It took me my whole life to be able to do this and it took many many many mistakes!

For every success I’ve had, the road has been paved with prior failures and that’s ok. I saw a bumper sticker once that said “Normalize hitting the curb” and I love that so much! My path as an artist has been a messy process buffered by the willingness to get back up again and try a different way. What helped me move beyond my own failures was an unquenchable curiosity about what could be possible coupled with an intense drive to keep going. It’s entirely possible that my love of the word resilience is just a covert way to put a positive spin on dogged stubbornness. Don’t tell anyone else, but I hear it runs in the family.

Couple your resilience with integrity and you’ll find the sweet spot to your own success. Integrity means that even when you fail, at the end of the day you’re beholden to yourself for honorable behavior. Above all else, I treat my clients how I’d want to be treated. I honor their memories, stories and connections with my art, realizing that life is a collaboration of the most beautiful and mind-blowing kind. People notice these things, and I think they remember folks and businesses who treat them with integrity. In a time when A.I. customer service is the name of the game, personal human connection and integrity matter more than ever.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an old soul who loves to paint big, colorful landscapes and abstracts that steal my breath away. I offer original paintings, fine art prints, notecards and I also get to teach painting online to some of the most lovely folks in the world.

My work is not an attempt to push anyone’s boundaries. Painting is just how I cope with the challenges of life and celebrate my joys internally. It’s also how I process pain, but you’d never know it. Fortunately, when I dig in deep with my overwhelm, sadness or anger, what comes out via brushwork is usually beauty and a reverence for nature, place and life. Somehow the process helps heal me too. If you love color, vibrant brushwork and feel a connection with the natural world, then my work is for you. If you long to make the impermanence of sweet memories and time both permanent and tangible, my work is also for you. I can’t actually ever reach my goal- there will never be a way for me to paint a memory and hang it on my wall for keeps- but that doesn’t stop me from chasing the beauty of it all and trying my hardest.

In many ways, painting is a spiritual celebration of being alive and lifting up moments that matter. Maybe that is actually a small revolution after all. I don’t want to walk through life missing the good stuff. I want to pay attention to it now, while I still can. Choosing my creative path was a way for me to choose making a life over making a living. The miraculous thing is that I haven’t had to choose between those two things at all.

Back in 2020, I felt pretty trapped at home with two young children and not much support. We had just come out of several years where we struggled with a rare condition that severely limited my daughter’s ability to eat food. In January 2020, she outgrew the condition and we gained a lot of new freedoms, at least until March hit. For a while we struggled with the lockdown situation and felt all the feelings. Then we started to get outside and visit the state parks. We ended up visiting every single N.C. State park in 2020 and I painted a scene from each one at the suggestion of a friend. That turned into The Carolina Collection of paintings and really helped my business grow. Today our family is still exploring and I’m still painting. The National Parks are now in our sights, although I have no plans to see every single one in a year. That was a lot!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting Greensboro, I’d start out by taking her to the Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market on Saturday morning. We’d buy sourdough bread from Oven Fresh Delights, swoon over handmade marbled paper sketchbooks from Susanne Baker at Fibernacci Press and then grab some fresh flowers, coffee and produce before heading to The Sage Mule or Chez Genese for brunch. After that, we’d visit the Cultural Arts Center downtown to explore the galleries at Greenhill, the CVA and the African American Atelier. No trip downtown is complete without a visit to Just Be, my favorite local gift shop featuring artisan made goodies and Scuppernong books, where we’d pick up our next great reads.

For dinner downtown, we’d have to agonize over the restaurant choice, but we’d probably pick tacos at Crafted. Afterwards, we’d be so excited to get a cocktail at The Quarter while we relaxed under the life-size live oak tree sculptures that envelop the space. It’s so nice to find a spot where the the vibe is chill, the drinks are delicious and the ambiance is unmatched. They frequently have great live music too.

The next day might start out with a walk through Country Park and Battleground Park, followed by a London Fog tea at Vida Pour on State Street and a bite of chocolate from Rhyme and Reason. Next, we’d venture to The Red Collection to get our furniture thrift treasure hunt on. There is always treasure at Red Collection and you never know what form it will take!

If we had more time, I’d love to take her to see a show at Tanger Center or Carolina Theatre and explore the Civil Rights Museum too. For special dinners, 1618 West is my all time favorite. With younger kids, I highly recommend The Greensboro Science Center, LeBauer Park and the Children’s Museum too. I also love a good field trip to High Point to check out the Carolina Core Soccer team at a home game. They’re incredible!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support and mentorship of an entire army of incredible humans. First I want to thank my husband, David, who believed in me from day one. His encouragement and support of our family and me personally gave me the confidence to launch my business. From lugging heavy stuff to sweltering art festivals in the early days to endlessly driving me around to get the next photographic inspiration for my latest masterpiece, he is always by my side. Unwavering love is so hard to come by in this world, and he offers me that and a whole bunch of grace too. Plus, he’s a fantastic father to our two children. Speaking of children, I’d like to thank my two wonderful ones for bringing life to my soul and purpose to my meaning. However you want to put it, it’s a privilege and the honor of my life to be your mama and I am humbled by the job. I’d also like to thank my parents and step-parents who led by example with their work ethic and my grandparents who showed me what unwavering welcome, gentle patience and immeasurable kindness looked like in real human form. I have also leaned heavily upon my friends, who continue to support me with validation, encouragement and occasional reality checks in the good times and the hard times. My army of incredible humans teaches me that love is a verb every single day and it’s only through that love that I have been able to step up. None of us build success on our own. It’s all one big interconnected group project and I want to honor that.

Website: https://www.katiewallart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katie_podracky/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatiePodrackyNC

Image Credits
Image Credits go to Eugenia Ramey and David Podracky