I am delighted to introduce you to one of the sweetest and most devoted gallery moderators - Katherine Cheng Franke or as she likes to be called by everyone - Katie



She is 24 years old and is notorious for her immeasurable love for her husband, Keith, who is also a volunteer in dA and an accomplished photographer.
She conveys the impression of an enthusiastic and energetic person, full of artistic inspiration and a desire to be of help. Also, she is one of the few people with responsibilities to dA who never fail to reply to your notes, give feedback on your work and generally maintain a high level of interaction with the community, along with always creating work that is more than a treat for the eye.
So, what is the person behind the username like? First and foremost, extremely kind-hearted:

I like to give everything and everyone a chance, however the one thing that I can never abide in people is cheapness.

While she dedicates a lot of time to art and this site, she also indulges in simple human pleasures.

I enjoy a lot of things in life, most of all travelling and experiencing great food. Movies, books, and of course baking, take up most of my free time.


(and bake she does!)

Wow, isn’t she a loving person? Katie is also very affectionate towards her two kitties, Chiko and Perry.

Chiko and Perry keep my company while Keith is away for work.



But her true love, (actually LOVE) is her husband who, if you set on counting, would be in half her sentences. (What a lucky couple!)

Having Keith as a husband, I have nothing to be afraid of, and we're working towards our long-term future, with having a child as a major consideration. I'm not sure if I want to change myself in any aspect, I am who I am, and fortunate that Keith loves me just for that.



---------------------------------

Then, since he's a vital part of your life, tell me more about Keith. How did you meet? What drew you to him and what do you like about him?

We started talking here on dA, some 5 years ago. We were going to meet on so many different occasions in many places all over the world - London, New York, Toronto, San Francisco, Paris, Tokyo... however we always just missed each other as we were both travelling for business purposes. Finally Keith decided to visit Hong Kong in 2007, and invited me to stay with him. After those 12 blissful days, he came back 2 months later to make me his wife.

We love each other for the same reasons, we're both passionate about the same things, and we're both very extreme individuals. Aside from my father, there's never been a person who loves me just for who I am, no matter what I do. He is the epitome of perfection, wildly talented and intelligent, caring and protective of the things that matter... I've no complaints whatsoever. Plus he's funny.

(I felt there was a long reply coming! )

The second most vital thing for you as an artist is, I assume, creating art, right? Do you think love for art is something you're born with?

My mother and father appreciated art and I was brought up heavily in that atmosphere. I think what the mother sees while she is pregnant somewhat affects the infant in her womb, however I believe that upbringing is what makes us who we are, for the most part.

During your experience as an artist you’ve created your own unique and instantly recognisable style, something that many fail to achieve while at the same time exploring a wide variety of themes. So what inspires you, how do you get your ideas? You often mention having "visions" of your pieces beforehand. What exactly are these - a finished picture with colour and form, a vague notion, an impression or...?

These visions usually appear in a choreographed form, starting with line and then bleeding with colour. It's always very animated, and inexplicably moving. They always complete themselves, and all I'm left to do is portray as closely as possible what I saw in my mind.

And what mediums do you like using the most?

I work with pretty much anything that suits my purpose, I love mixed medium. Usually I go with watercolours and oils as a major medium though.

As you say, you paint in a professional capacity for private collectors mainly from Europe and Japan. How did you start working as an artist? I mean, it's such an intimidating challenge for most young artists. How did it all begin for you and what advice can you give to anyone who wishes to make an income with art?

I was only able to work professionally as an artist after meeting Keith. It's definitely one of those fields where knowing people helps in getting around. I still know very little about the Fine Art industry, as Keith manages my work completely. I just paint. So in that sense I have very little advice to offer... for me I was only fortunate to be able to pursue my passions in the form of a lifelong career.





We’re all very lucky to have you in deviantart community. How long has it been for you? How did you discover this site?

Almost 8 years ago, I was browsing around for wallpapers and having ended up on `precurser's website through [link], I found on his links section a very attractive website button, of a distinctive shade of dull green. Having clicked on that, I was hypnotised by this enormous banner telling me to sign up... and that's how I ended up being a member. It took me 6 months of downloading skins and wallpapers from dA before I realised that I could actually submit my own work here to share. Go figure

Many deviants get bored with the site after a while but you’ve been amazingly persistent. What made you keep going?

There are far, far, far too many wonderful artists and their amazing galleries to make this site boring. To put it plainly, the people and the art are what keep me here. I'm not afraid to allow the site to be a part of my life.

What motivated you to volunteer for a GM?

The main reason is just wanting to have the means to help out more, and to be more involved with the development of the community.

What does being a GD include?

Actually we are no longer GDs (gallery directors), rather we are GMs, or gallery moderators. We are a group of volunteers that preside over and take care of the growth within specific galleries through various projects, while serving as a bridge between the community and the corporation. Featuring DDs or Daily Deviations are one of our responsibilities, to shine light on the most exceptional artwork that the community has to offer. Mainly we are here to keep everyone in touch with what's going on, and try to help out wherever possible.

What attracts you towards a piece of work? What do you look for when choosing a DD for example?

Context is what attracts me the most. I like to be shown intriguing aspects of life through unique forms of expression.

About DDs, what percentage of what is suggested to you do you feature and how many suggestions per week do you get on average?

On average I would say I feature 1 out of 10 suggestions that I get (I get a lot of amazing suggestions) and I'd say I get about 80-100 suggestions per week.

And finally, I can't help but wonder, how do you manage to balance between being a GM, spending time with your family and friends and creating art?

It's all about organisation and time-management. I like to follow somewhat of a routine, which I find is a necessity when it comes to working from home. Mid-day to evenings are dedicated to family and then dA, and at night I paint. Sometimes I switch around and paint during the day, leaving dA for night.

Sounds as if you don't sleep at all!
Thank you very much for taking the time to do this, Katie.


------------------------

If you aren’t watching her already, I suggest you do, as she is always up to something new and interesting.

She’s the curator of a unique community here on dA - =resurgere is a project, in which artists provide high-quality stock for reference and manipulations. It is definitely worth a look.

Another wonderful project she is running is Tradsavvy, whose major aim is to provide information on different traditional mediums and tools by interviews with artists who have experience with them. You can view this extremely helpful series of articles here: [link]

For more interesting projects around and outside dA, check her journals, they are always up-to-date with the most recent intriguing bits. What’s more, in each journal you can find even more about Katie as a person, through her “Question tiem”

Finally, as it’s always good to finish with some nice eye candy, here are some of the magnificent works she’s featured (random choice):