Kit Paulsen was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She grew up hiking, fishing and exploring; her love of the outdoors and infatuation with drawing began as a youngster. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Tennessee with a double major in Design and Painting, she landed a job in advertising as an Art Director upon graduation. Marriage and a move to Pittsburgh brought jobs with bigger and better agencies; the most notable was Ketchum, where Kit worked for many years. Through the grace of her husband’s good salary as a morning disc jockey, she was able to joyfully leave the ad biz and employ the painting part of her degree and was represented by many Pittsburgh galleries. She was delighted to help start a legendary cooperative gallery, Watercolors, and was President of their Board of Directors for many years. Her interest in the outdoors became a passion with the purchase of a 98 acre farm in the Laurel Highlands, just south of Pittsburgh; this was a place of inspiration and endless subjects, many of which can be seen in her work. For seven years she illustrated for “Table”, an upscale farm to table foodie magazine. Kit is a member of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, the Virginia Watercolor Society, and the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts. She is represented by the Libertytown Arts Workshop in Fredericksburg, VA, where she and her husband have recently moved. Paulsen says, "I love the process of putting down what I see, of finding the poetry of place." Some of her pieces are very detailed, exposing her interest in the intricacy of creation. Other pieces are more impressionistic, translating her emotions in a loose and fluid manner for viewers to appreciate. Her pieces have a rhythm in color and application, creating a moving and undulating scene, whether it be calm landscapes, busy interiors, or the traditional portrait.