Katie Brake was born and raised in a part of central Indiana that was both rural and suburban. Her parent’s practiced in small-scale farming, on the edge of one of the most affluent suburbs of Indianapolis, and she from time to time participated in the chores of raising chickens and selling farm products in the small local farmer’s market.

She began studying and training in Ballet, Scottish Highland, and Modern dance techniques from a very early age.

Every Summer, she traveled with her parents on camping trips, visiting over the years, twenty different National Parks and many more State Parks and recreation areas.

She got to know and love her Great-Aunt who shared stories with her about life as a practicing artist and as a rehabilitator of Birds of Prey and other wildlife for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Her Aunt painted wildlife and worked to heal raptors and other animals that had fallen victim to accidental encroachment by people into the natural world—(mainly car strikes, clearing of woods, and collisions into buildings.)

Katie has a deep appreciation for the plant life and animals of the “natural world.”

She began to express her love and appreciation of nature and the dangers of human encroachment into natural areas in her early years as a student, using a variety of media.

Recently Katie has come to develop a passion for taxidermy. She has used found and deceased animals and their remains to create objects of interest, curiosity, and beauty out of what many might consider repulsive, forbidden, or even taboo.

For Katie, the borderland between suburbia and farmland, town and woodland, the “manmade” world, and the natural world is a dangerous place. She has intentionally makes an effort to explore the many consequences of this liminal space.

Katie has plans for works involving the use of the bones, fur, and skins of animals that have died as a result of these encounters on the road.