Katy Nave Kemalyan is an artist and art educator who completed her MFA in Historic Preservation at Mississippi State University in December 2025. Originally from Kingsville, TX Katy received a BFA in Painting and Art History from Southwestern University in 2015.
Painting and viewing murals are Katy’s favorite way to communicate or learn about a place. Keeping a travel sketchbook is important to her, she often takes small commissions of architecture and landscapes in watercolor, and has previously designed illustration-based stationery. After college, Katy enjoyed opportunities to travel with AmeriCorps NCCC, Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Crafts, and College Year in Athens. As a military spouse, Katy spent five years in California’s Central Valley and is currently based out of Meridian, MS.
Tankhouse Studios got its name from the quirky vernacular water-tower structures attached to many California farmhouses- a favorite thing to spot on roadtrips.