Kathryn Downing is a native of Des Moines, Iowa. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design and visual arts from Grand View College in 2002. Her education has included an extended trip to Moscow, Russia; and study of Italian art during a tour of Rome, Florence, and Milan.

Since graduation, Kathryn has taught at the Ankeny Art Center and participated in several juried art festivals and group exhibitions. Her work is held in private collections throughout the Midwest, and in the corporate collections of Prairie Meadows and Farmland Insurance.