Karissa Laffey is a native Texan and natural born artist who enjoys expressing her love and appreciation for the natural environment through her work. She creates the majority of her artwork using, watercolor, gouache, acrylic paints, and digitally. Karissa is largely inspired by the beauty she experiences in nature. Her work utilizes vibrant colors, which amplify the striking features of the natural environment. Her vision is to draw people in using rich colors and inspire them to share her delight and curiosity for nature. Karissa is particularly interested in capturing the beauty of native birds.

Locally, Karissa has shown her art at various venues since 2018. She also worked for 5 years as an educator and program manager at the non-profit, Artist Boat. There, she inspired learners of all ages to foster a love and appreciation for coastal ecosystems. She engaged thousands of students in schools across Houston and surrounding areas and led unique coastal experiences on Artist Boat's Coastal Heritage Preserve.

In 2022, Karissa also took on illustrating children’s books authored by her mother, Melanie Miller. Their first book, “But Gertie Garza, You're a Girl” was awarded 5 stars by Reader Views. Their second book “Iris and the Turtles” is set to release on June 10th, 2024.

Last summer, Karissa took on the job of painting a mural for the Houston Humane Society Wildlife Center. She will finish the project by the close of summer 2024.

Karissa graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015 with a degree in marine biology. Presently, she is a High School science teacher and will be teaching Aquatic Science at Dickinson High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

In her free time, when she's not painting, Karissa likes to visit state and national parks and preserves with her husband and friends. She takes lots of videos with her phone so she can share her delight with others and remember her experiences for years to come.

You can follow Karissa on her Instagram account @krissylaffeyart.