Little Splashes of Color — My Story
I'm Kathy Jurek, an artist and illustrator based in Omaha, Nebraska, with a passion for watercolor illustration. I blend vibrant layers of watercolor with gritty pencil textures to craft designs that are both whimsical and timeless.
Art has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. For the past 20 years, I've painted weekly with a small group of friends — and it was during one of those sessions, playing around with loose, colorful acrylics, that the words "little splashes of color" popped into my head. I tucked the name away, knowing someday it would belong to something. This shop is that something.
I started out painting portraits, which I still love, and spent a couple of years working as a children's illustrator. When I opened my Etsy shop, I wanted to focus on nursery art — and I began with a set of trucks. They started to sell, and then something wonderful happened: customers began asking me to paint specific trucks. Their requests shaped the collection, one vehicle at a time, until it grew into trains, tractors, airplanes, and beyond.
That's the heart of what I do. I paint things that make people feel warm and nostalgic — art that belongs in a child's room and grows with them, pieces that tell a story before a single word is read. Every print starts in my home studio, where the watercolors are always out and something new is usually in progress.
I'm so glad you found your way here.
