Katrina Schmidt-Rinke was born in Montreal, Canada. She grew up spending lots of time in the Laurentien mountains of Quebec, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Asheville, North Carolina. She comes from a family of gardeners who enjoy being outside and learning about and taking care of plants and animals. Nature has always had a big influence on her life and so she enjoys portraying that in her artwork. Katrina received her BFA from The Savannah College of Art and Design in 1999 and her MFA from The Savannah College of Art and Design in 2001 and currently makes her home in Aberdeen, North Carlolina.