Kathe Umlauf

Kathe Umlauf began sculpting as a child having had the good fortune to have been raised in an artistic climate. Her father was a Bauhaus architect from whom she learned the importance of “Form Follows Function” in nature. Her mother was a studio potter and clay became a ready medium for Kathe.

She grew up in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where she would spend countless hours exploring the fields and woods that surrounded her. Nearby, dozens of camp horses were pastured while on furlough, and being given free reign to them when they weren’t otherwise occupied, she learned to ride and developed a love of horsemanship and later become a competitive equestrian.

Her love of nature extends to all animals. She draws from life frequently, from zoos, farms and the wild. She claims that working from life not only informs an artist of the animal’s form, but also, its personality. She states that it’s important to understand the abstract forms first, then build on that with the smaller details.

She studied contemporary art at Tyler School of Art, and from there, needing more figurative foundation, she enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where she received a full merit scholarship. While there she won numerous prizes for her drawings and sculptures including the prestigious Cresson Travelling Fellowship which allowed her to study art in Europe for the summer.

Kathe went on to work commercially, sculpting for The Franklin Mint, Mattel, Hasbro, Fisher Price, and other manufacturers. From this experience she learned craftsmanship and how to work with clients.

Kathe has completed dog, horse and cat portraits in both clay and paint. She has been asked if she prefers one medium over the other and replied that “No, not really. Both have their particular challenges and rewards. But I like working with both because one informs the other.”

Her work can be found in numerous public and private collections, including ARCO Chemical Company, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Harrisburg Area Community College, The Erie Zoo, Saint Vincent Hospital, The Franklin Mint, Tom Ridge Environmental Center, The Erie Art Museum, Port Allegheny School District, Millersville University, and Erie Arts and Culture.

She has also taught numerous workshops on working with clay, drawing animals from life, and plein air painting.