Katie Aronat

Katie Aronat is a Chattanooga-based abstract artist working in acrylic and wood relief. With a degree in Design | Media Arts from UCLA and a career spanning graphic design, motion design, and creative project management, including work with clients like Google, her practice blends digital fluency with hands-on craftsmanship to create bold, layered works that quite literally pop off the panel.

Arrowknot Studio, her brand, is inspired by her family name, Aronat (pronounced "arrow-knot"), honoring the eye for composition and creativity she shares with her dad, an architect and photographer.

Aronat begins each piece digitally before translating it into laser-cut wood, hand-painted layers, and puzzle-like relief construction. Her work is rooted in color theory, shape, and iteration, exploring how overlapping forms and color relationships shift perception and energy within a composition.

The intersection of that design background and a lifelong love of art forms the foundation of her practice. Though immersed in digital media for much of her career, she was always drawn to the expressive power of abstract art. For years, she believed her path lay solely in digital design, but a desire to construct tangible, dimensional work led her into fine art.

Beyond the immediate visual impact, Katie is inspired by art's ability to resonate personally and shape individual perception. She embraces abstract art's inherent ambiguity, valuing its capacity to invite diverse interpretations and create uniquely personal experiences. Her work transforms the panel into a space of sensory discovery and reflection, an ongoing exploration of color, form, and dimensionality.


Artist Statement

My art exists at the intersection of digital design and hands-on craftsmanship, where digital sketches and designs transform into vibrant, abstract compositions with a pronounced sense of depth and dimension.

Each piece begins in a digital playground of freestyle forms, layers, and color. As abstract components emerge on screen, I refine them through an iterative process driven by balance and hierarchy, ensuring that every element is the right color and has its place and purpose.

Digital concepts take physical form through the precise cutting, painting, and layering of wood into relief, built up layer by layer through an almost puzzle-like assembly. As a color maximalist, I embrace bold palettes that infuse energy into dimensional compositions. My work invites viewers to explore the interplay between form, color, and space, offering a visually immersive experience.


katiearonat.com