Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Foster.
Hi Katie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi! My name is Katie Foster and I am a local artist who specializes in unique concepts. Most people know me for my elaborate tie dye, previously owning KC’s only dedicated DIY tie dye studio, or my stage design builds. I also make custom stickers, shirt designs, epoxy resin, jewelry, and graphic design- although I try to tackle what ever project is set in front of me.
I have always been a crafty person so the move seemed natural to open up my own DIY art studio in KC, Sunshine DIY Studio, at the beginning of 2025. The economy at the time wasn’t in the favor of many brick and mortar businesses in the area, so I decided to go mobile by the end of 2025. I closed the studio and instead began selling my hand dyed pashminas and handmade jewelry at local vending events and raves. If you would have asked me where I wanted to be five years ago, I would have told you that I wanted my art to be at EDM festivals.
This past year, that dream came true.
My latest project, and the one that I am most proud of, is that I was invited to build two stage sets for a major 7-day EDM music festival, Dancefestopia. I was put in charge of designing, constructing, and installing their Forest Stage and Pool Stage. It was a project that lasted months, but was by far the most rewarding artistic experience I’ve had.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My professional art journey hasn’t always been easy, but it’s always been done with forward momentum. There’s a reason the term “starving artist” exists. It takes a lot of determination to keep producing art until people notice.
When I opened my physical art studio I didn’t know they were shutting down the street for streetcar construction a few months after I opened. That made getting to my studio incredibly difficult for customers. It hit a point where if you included overhead, I was drowning. But if you took out overhead, then I was doing alright. So I made a hard, strategic move to close down the studio and sell my art at local events.
Once I made the choice to do pop up events, that’s when my personal art business really took off. I have done events all throughout the area, my favorite being at local raves.
Even when business was going good, I still struggle with my own personal health issues. I was born with a connective tissue disorder, called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. On a molecular level, my collagen (the glue in my body) doesn’t hold everything together like it should. So all throughout all the events I was still battling sprains, dislocations, heart issues, even a procedure where I had two of my lower ribs removed for pain relief (still made it to my vending event three weeks after surgery). The determination I have to make my dream of becoming a known artist goes deeper than what any person on the outside even sees. I figured if Frida Kahlo can do it through her back being broken, I could do this.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I do it all, but people know me best for my tie dye fabric arts and my stage builds.
I tie dye a lot of items, including repurposing clothing from thrift stores, but my favorites are my hand dyed pashminas that I make. I make very intricate and elaborate patterns. I also don’t make any of them in batches- every single one is one of a kind. I have made elaborate ones like a full fan of peacock feathers, the chakras, mushroom scenes, and a lot of different intricate patterns. I also really love to play with light- a lot of the things I made have some sort of UV reactive component to them.
What I am most proud of out of all of my artistic accomplishments is actually the art I was able to do for Dancefestopia. If you don’t know what Dancefest is, the best way to describe it is you and 60,000 of your closest friends from all over the continent (and sometimes further) get together to listen to EDM artists for an entire week out in La Cygne, KS.
What started out as a work exchange opportunity clearing out the camp grounds the previous year ended up with me being asked to design and build two of their stages. I was able to design a neon forest themed with bright green flowers with eyes, twisting vines, and curvy hills. I was also able to build an underwater coral scene with octopus tentacles holding disco balls with huge iridescent jellyfish. They were all larger than life and amazing.
What sets me apart from other artists is just how outside the box I can really get. What’s neat is that now most of my clients give me full artistic control. They know whatever I come up with will be high quality and one of a kind.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
The thing that people tend to react to the most when they walk into my booth is the sheer amount of things that I have personally made. I love the idea of repurposing clothing, so I go to thrift stores and find white clothing to dye again and give new life to. I also don’t make anything in large batches unless it’s a custom order, so everything is one of a kind.
People walk into a full booth and always ask if it’s a team, and when I tell them it’s all just me, they are usually surprised.
I usually try to dye one new piece at least every other day, so you can imagine what that ends up adding up to.
Pricing:
- Tie dye shirts start at $25
- Hand dyed, one of a kind pashminas $65
- Tie dye hoodies start at $35
- Custom stickers start at $5
- Free quotes for freelance work!
Contact Info:
