There is a particular joy that lingers in my heart after witnessing a creature lazing about, indulging in mischief, or following their same routine every single day without fail. In soft, messy washes of ink, dreamy color palettes, and touches of iridescence, this body of work expresses a love for daily life in a world beyond our own. These pieces act as a portal to view grandiose creatures caught in the act of their not-so-grand pastimes. After all, there are dull moments in the lives of all beings, moments which deserve to be appreciated all the same.

Kat Bertrand is a Louisiana-based illustrator and multi-media artist with a love for visual storytelling. Fascinated with the mundane, macabre, and melancholic, she approaches her subject through a playful lens, bringing wonder and whimsy to the forefront of each piece. Whether in grayscale or color, the soft texture of ink wash creates a base for the majority of her work, detailed with colored pencils, charcoal, and bold blooms of ink. She graduated from McNeese State University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in visual arts, and is now working as a creative specialist at Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center, designing collateral for exhibits, events, and programs