As a child, much to her mother’s dismay, Katie Archangel could almost always be found exploring old, vacant houses and empty factories in her small California town searching for fascinating “stuff” that had been cast aside and left behind. Dust, cobwebs, and the scrap of people’s daily lives were her boon companions.  As she grew older, she had to forfeit her freedom to trespass in forgotten places with impunity; however, she never lost the desire to unearth fascinating treasures and cache them for some mysterious purpose yet to be discovered.  Fifty years, two careers (Air Force officer and English teacher), and an adult’s penchant for collecting art and antiquities later, she has found that purpose: Found Object Art.    

As a found object artist, Katie assembles worn and discarded objects, that originally served a non-artistic purpose, to create artwork that stirs fond memories of the past.  She carefully curates emotionally charged objects – from antique cameras to old kitchen spoons– which will make people smile and reminisce about their lives gone by.  She firmly believes that people like her artwork, not only because it transports them back to happier, simpler, more secure times in their lives, but because it shows them the overlooked beauty of the used and discarded.  It encourages them to look for other purposes for the obsolete and reminds them that every object, even the weathered and rusty ones, has a story to tell.

Using hardware, tools, machinery, fasteners, and a wealth of ephemera as her media, Katie creates whimsical sculptures and hanging artwork of animals, angels, robots, airships, and more.