Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Krell.
Hi Katie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been a Graphic Designer for nearly 12 years, but have always spent my free time doing something creative, something artistic. I love traditional mediums like watercolor and oil painting, drawing in a sketchbook, and even digital art, using my drawing tablet or iPad. It wasn’t until 2016 that I first discovered a new medium.. epoxy resin. At the time there weren’t a ton of resources or people using resin as an art medium so I ended up losing interest.
Fast forward to the pandemic at the start of 2020 and I found myself having a lot more time on my hands and decided to pick it back up. As I became more confident using resin, I decided to create an identity for my resin work to keep it separate from all my other creative outlets, so I started my instagram account West.End.Resin made a website and started an Etsy to sell my work. I also began to teach others what I had learned via online courses.
I found an amazing community of resin artists on instagram as my account grew and I began to get commission requests from all over the US, Canada, and even Europe! I count my lucky stars for this side interest that started out of curiosity and ended up being one of my biggest passions, and I’m excited to see where it will take me!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve always agreed with the saying “nothing good ever comes easy” which I think is true for most things in life. I think what I struggle with most is just finding a balance between time spent working (both as a graphic designer, and all of my creative side interests including resin) and with friends, family, and pets. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day! Since West End Resin isn’t my full-time career, I’m spared many of the struggles the stress of that would bring me, for now, I’m just happy to be creating in my free time!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am currently a Senior Graphic designer, and have been a graphic designer for over a decade now (wow, has it been that long?) with a small but mighty design company, Image bridge Design, located in downtown Rochester. I love the structure of graphic design and enjoy my job, but in my free time, I’ve always done something creative.
I paint, draw, digitally paint, and so much more, and for a while, that was all I did, posting casually to my instagram and updating a website I never expected anyone to look at but family and friends. It wasn’t until I discovered epoxy resin that my “side hustle” really took off. As soon as I created an online presence that was purely for my resin work, I gained a following, both in the community of artists and potential clients.
I like to think my resin work has a recognizable style, although I couldn’t put into words what that is! It seems that each new commission I take on sharpens my skills, and helps me grow as an artist, also pushing my comfort level. The works I’m most proud of are the ones that ask something new of me, whether that’s a color palette I’m not used to or a size that seems dauntingly large!
Most of my resin work is inspired by natural stone formations, agates, and the sparkle of geodes. I use real semiprecious stone accents in my work with paint and metallic marker details to help capture the striated look of these natural stones. Wall art decor is my favorite resin art to make, but I also do create functional art like coasters, accented charcuterie boards, trays, and other things. I love experimenting with resin and could see my work evolving in the future, maybe I’ll find a new inspiration!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’m not superstitious… but I am a little stitious! I think there’s an element of luck involved. Did the pandemic kick-start me at the perfect time? Did the instagram algorithm push my content to the right eyes? There may be some luck, but hard work and perseverance got me to where I’m at today. I’ve had to invest my time and resources into my craft to get to where I’m at today, and I’m pretty proud of the progress I’ve made!
Contact Info:
- Website: westendresin.com
- Instagram: @west.end.resin
- Other: westendresin-courses.com
