7 minute read
The Sentadentlilist
Morrison CI ’13 combines artistry and craftsmanship to create personalized works in both dentistry and watercolor, each piece reflecting her deep connection to cherished memories.
By Dan Knapp
Perched on a nightstand in the Craftsman bungalow Katie Morrison shares with her husband, Brian, is an encased wallpaper swatch, a relic of her childhood home that ties her present to her past. Sage-colored vines coil over a muted white background within a small golden frame, an ivy-like pattern that once sprawled across her Eastern Kentucky kitchen where she spent hours with loved ones. Salvaged by her sister-in-law, Kati, before the property’s sale, it occupies a prominent place next to a seaside vacation photo of Morrison and her late mother, Melanie.
“When I look at that wallpaper, I get a sense of warmth,” Morrison (née Conley) CI ‘13 says of the nostalgic gift she regards as her most cherished. “So many memories were made helping mom in the kitchen, celebrating birthdays around the table, eating homecooked meals as a family every night. We did our homework at that table. We had holidays around that table. It was home for so long, and I love having a piece of it with me.”
Morrison’s home in Lexington’s tony Chevy Chase neighborhood is a mélange of vintage charm and modern style, where timeworn treasures mix with sleek, contemporary lines. Like the sun-faded wallcovering, many pieces hold cherished stories and emotions, reflecting an ethereal connection to the past. Morrison routinely seeks out forgotten treasures in secondhand shops and antique stores.
“I’m forever thrifting and trying to find vintage pieces for my home,” Morrison explains of her eclectic collection. “I just found a taxidermied pheasant that I’ve been chasing for years. I love to collect — I guess you’d say — other people’s sentimental items. I feel like older things have more soul, and I (get a thrill) finding unique pieces that look like they’ve been loved before.”
Just as her décor reflects a mix of cherished treasures, each imbued with sentimentality and a connection to past owners, Morrison brings this same sensibility into her corporate life and creative endeavors. As with many millennials, Morrison deftly juggles two careers. By day, she works as a dental lab technician in a downtown Lexington orthodontics practice — a role that provides routine and stability (and funds stuffed birds in the living room); her burgeoning side hustle as a fine art watercolorist allows her to channel creativity nurtured since her youth in that botanical-themed kitchen.
“I’ve always loved working with my hands,” Morrison recalls. “My dad used to bring home scrap paper from work because he was tired of buying me drawing pads. I’d burn through paper like crazy, writing and drawing on everything.”
“I really work to be as accurate as I can while trying to put love and life in the eyes because that’s most important,” Morrison adds. “Now, I always start with the eyes because if they’re wrong, you might as well trash it. It might be just because I love animals and I love people — I’m very sentimental, you know? — but I think having an artist take time to interpret something you love for you and try to make it even more special is the line between fine art and photography.”
In recent years, Morrison has expanded her artwork to include scenes taken from nature as well as less organic subjects, such as manmade structures. She calls commissions for paintings of houses “a nice break from pets, a nice break from that intensity of trying to represent a living thing.”
She adds, however, that portraits of homes are “still very loaded with sentimental value to the person that requested it.”
Each piece she creates tells a personal story, often tied to a client’s emotions. Her portfolio now features stately homes, precious pets and even one-of-a-kind apparel. Her custom cowboy boots are a particularly popular item.
“I love boots — I’m not a high-heel girl. I wear sneakers and boots,” Morrison explains with a glint in her eye. “I fell in love with the concept of painted boots, so I ordered myself a cheap pair from Amazon and just started playing around.”
Morrison reached out to Sherri Henry Wolf — a frequent collaborator and owner of the popular Lexington boutique, Henry Dry Goods — and asked her professional opinion about the commercial viability of the artful footwear.
“I texted Sherri, ‘What do you think about this?’” Morrison recalls. “And she said, ‘Make more!’ so I started coming up with ideas, and then I got requests for custom boots.”
She discovers gently worn boots in vintage clothing stores and rejuvenates them with reconditioning and resoling, infusing her unique flair onto the supple leather. While on a life-changing trip to Montana — where she and Brian became engaged — a local milliner spotted a pair of her boots adorned with blue butterflies and requested his own bespoke design. From there, she shared the final product on social media, which sparked a surge of interest.
“She is an amazing talent that needs to be shouted from the rooftops!,” enthuses Wolf. “I fell in love with Katie’s art from the moment I saw her first piece. She has an amazing ability to take a photo, object, idea, sketch or thought and bring it to life! The character, depth and layers in each piece take on a unique personality that we can’t wait to share with our customer base.”
Married in the summer of 2024, the Morrisons continue to settle into domesticity, balancing their various jobs and hobbies. Describing her husband — CEO of Bri-Den Roofing — as “the most kind, patient, supportive and loving partner that I could ever have,” Morrison explains that the kindred spirits maintain their respective interests while sharing quality time.
“Brian has a gift for cooking — he’s an excellent chef,” Morrison boasts, her newlywed bliss evident in the sanguine smile that erupts with the mention of his name. “He cooks while I paint. I sit at the table in the kitchen, so we’re still together, cutting up and chit-chatting about our day. We have that functional balance where we’re both doing things that we love that are separate, but we’re together.”
As a proud UK alumna, Morrison reflects on the importance of her college experience as a time for learning and transplanting deep roots in Lexington’s community.
“I wasn’t born in Lexington, so graduating from UK has given me a sense of belonging here,” she says. “It connects me to so many people. I find that common ground with almost everyone I talk to who went here. I’ve never met someone who graduated from the University of Kentucky and was indifferent about it. We love it, and I’ve always found that to be such an important connection.”
Coming full circle, she is applying much of the PR and marketing knowledge learned at UK to help showcase her artwork to the public. As she works special events — like the one at Keeneland during the October meet where she live-painted for onlookers — she can eloquently discuss her work and artistic philosophy with potential clients, allowing her part-time avocation to grow.
Morrison envisions a future where art remains a central part of her life, though she remains practical about the challenges.
“I’d love to be a full-time artist, but I don’t know if that’s necessarily in the cards for me,” she says. “I don’t think that would be sustainable as a full-time career. Each piece takes a substantial amount of time to get just right. I really put my whole heart into each piece.”
To view more of Morrison’s latest pieces, visit katlynannart.com. ■
