Katherine Klimitas is a New Orleans-based artist and designer who sold her first watercolor at age 10. As the daughter of veterinarians, Katherine expresses her family’s life-long love of animals through her meticulous life-like paintings. She earned a B.A. from Loyola University in 2011, and today at age 35, runs her multifaceted business KAK ART & Designs from home. When clients learn that Katherine has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, they are captivated by her unique perspective. She and her parents stopped counting her broken bones at 500 at age 10. She’s 2 feet 7 inches tall, gets around in an electric wheelchair, and creates all of her art, jewelry and commercial graphic design while lying on her side.

“Looking Up” is a glimpse into Katherine’s world, a world unlike most. Because she spends most of her time in an electric wheelchair due to her physical condition, she spends a lot of her time looking up. Though the book began as her college senior project, it evolved shortly thereafter into her story, complete with anecdotes, humor, and powerful photography.

Katherine speaks to a variety of audiences, including high school and college students, medical professionals, and education professionals, spreading her message of perseverance and creativity.