Katherine Ford shows off a fine smallmouth bass, the fish that made her fall in love with fly fishing. Photos courtesy Katherine Ford
Wisconsin artist Katherine Ford came to both painting and fly fishing late in life, but she’s certainly made up for lost time. Known for her gorgeous watercolors of flies, she’s also taken to painting different fish species, as well. The results are colorful, impressionistic paintings that really capture the interplay of form and function, as well as the connection to nature. We asked Katherine to answer a few questions about her path to becoming an artist and more.
Watercolor, 5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
2024
Where are you from, and what do you do for a living?
I’ve called Wisconsin home my whole life, except for two adventurous years in Alaska. I spent my career in the food and pharmaceutical industries, working in quality assurance—a highly analytical field. When I retired, I finally gave my long-suppressed creativity space to grow. Watercolor painting became my outlet, allowing curiosity and expression to bloom.
Watercolor, 5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
2024
Where and when did you start fishing?
My dad used fishing as an escape, and from the time I was four, he’d bring me along—usually to the gravel pit, where I caught bullheads and soaked up the joy of being with him. By age six, I had a hand line and was catching panfish during trips “Up North.” When I got bored, he handed me snarled line to untangle. I thought I was helping. He probably tossed it later, but I felt like part of the team.
Watercolor, 5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
2024
When and how did you start drawing/painting/sculpting? Did you study?
I enjoyed art in high school, especially perspective drawing, but life led me in other directions for many years. Later, I rediscovered sketching through botanical illustration. Wanting to add color, I turned to watercolor. I didn’t pursue a formal art degree but studied with artists whose styles I admired, including Mary Bauschelt, David R. Becker, Peg Ginsberg, and Helen Klebesadel.
Watercolor, 5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
2025
Who are the other artists who inspire you most?
I’m drawn to artists who bring emotional truth to ordinary subjects. Andrew Wyeth has long been a favorite for his stark intimacy and storytelling. I also deeply admire contemporary watercolorists who capture small moments with sincerity and detail—something I strive for in my own work.
Watercolor, 9 x 12 x 1.5 inches
2025
What is your connection between your love of art and fishing? When did they come together?
While I’ve fished since childhood, I didn’t fall in love with fly fishing until about eight years ago on a guided smallmouth trip with P.J. Smith. After several hours on the water, he opened a musky-fly box, and I was stunned by the sculptural beauty of those flies. I knew I had to paint them. That led to painting trout flies, bass streamers, and eventually fish themselves. My first fish painting now hangs in the SIM Fly Fishing Museum in Italy.
I love working in close detail, and when you study a fish up close—really study it—you see intricate colors and textures that go unnoticed in photos. That curiosity drove me to fish more, just to better understand what I wanted to paint.
Watercolor, 5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
2024
What’s up next for you?
I’m currently working on a series that pairs seasonal blooms with matching flies—a blend of my botanical roots and my fascination with flies as abstract sculpture. I’ll continue fly fishing as part of that process, letting the water and its inhabitants shape what comes next in the studio.
Click here to see and purchase Katherine’s
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