Kathie Lostetter

Kathie Lostetter is a New Mexico–based artist whose visionary animal sculptures are deeply rooted in the landscapes and communities of the Southwest. For decades, she has made her home atop a mesa along the Rio Chama, where her work has been shaped by a close and enduring connection to the natural world.

Originally from New Jersey, Lostetter relocated to New Mexico in the 1970s, where she built both a life and an artistic practice centered on creativity, family, and community. Over the past 30 years, her work has been featured in galleries across Santa Fe, Taos, Aspen, Albuquerque, Abiquiú, and Tubac, reflecting a sustained and regional presence.

Each of her sculptures begins in clay, carefully formed and fired before being painted with oils. She then embellishes each piece with intricate beadwork, gemstones, and feathers from her macaws, creating richly detailed surfaces that enhance their narrative and symbolic presence. Inspired by dreams, folklore, and ancient cultural traditions, her work reflects a deep respect for animals—their spiritual integrity and their essential role in the natural world.

Themes of nurturing and interconnectedness run throughout her sculptures, with a recurring focus on care for the young and reverence for all living beings. For Lostetter, sculpture is not only an artistic process but also a reflection of the sacred inspiration humans have long drawn from animals, plants, and the land—an enduring presence in myth, ceremony, and storytelling.

She holds a BA in Communications, with a focus on animation and art, from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.