Katie Straus (b. 1981, Gboko, Nigeria) is a Berlin-based abstract artist from the United States. Her paintings serve as a form of visual journaling, capturing moods, memories, and moments. Working quickly to embrace spontaneity, she builds layered compositions of color and texture, then refines them until representational forms – often plants or flowers emerge. Straus’s work explores themes of connection, community, and belonging, frequently evoking homes, neighborhoods, or aerial perspectives. Through shifting scales and viewpoints, she invites viewers into a dialogue between abstraction and familiarity.