Raised in Midcoast Maine, where influences from artists such as the Wyeths are very prominent, Katharina always wanted to be an artist herself. She began drawing at a very young age wth the guidance of her grandfather, Charles Gifford Sr., who was also a painter.

After years of student shows and a few commissions she attended the Maine College of Art after graduating high school. A few years later she studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, and currently continues to craft her technique in the realist tradition. She has always been influenced by master classical painters and artists and is continually inspired by contemporary realist artists.