Originally from the Central Valley of California, Katinka Van Dyk (b. 1992) grew up in Escalon and Ripon amongst the almond blossoms, creeks, and rivers. Finishing her Associates of Arts degree from Modesto Junior college (2014,) not realizing at the time, this changed the trajectory of her career. Later, she earned a Bachelors of Art degree from University of California Santa Cruz (2018.)

Shortly after receiving her AA she began mentorship with Dr. Richard Serros, an Art Historian and professor from the junior college. This man served as a personal walking encyclopedia of art. Her formative years, and arguably most important years, were spent with not just a mentor, but life long friend. During her mentorship he taught her how to think structurally and paint sculpturally. These two concepts have shaped how she approaches each artwork made.

During her time in Santa Cruz she took opportunity to refocus. Learning from one the greatest figurative artists of our time, Noah Buchanan, she studied life drawing and anatomy in an academic approach. Figure/Life drawing is about understanding how to break down what we see in front of us. Anatomy is important to drawing the human figure, but it is how light interacts with different surfaces that allow artists to capture form. Through his teachings she gained knowledge and a respect for light.

Currently residing in Boise, Idaho, Katinka continues to merge learnings from both chapters in her life. Focusing on the human condition by moving past an oral fixation, she is seeking value within light and how it plays with surfaces and demands a hierarchy with human emotions.