Kathryn Hastings is Kay Collier’s artist name. Kay studied art history and German literature at Colorado College, and has a strong background in calligraphy, epistolary arts and painting with a focus on oil and watercolor. An ardent antique collector, Kay uniquely focuses her artistic process on the use of antique tools, which are becoming increasingly rare in today’s modern world.

In a world of mass-production and instant gratification with a focus on convenience over conscious consumption, Kathryn Hastings explores an alternative that reminds us to take time to appreciate beauty in the everyday and cultivate human connection through mindful letter writing. Kathryn Hastings specializes in antique wax seals, each which carries hidden meanings.

Kathryn Hastings elevates functional craft to its rightful place as an art form by celebrating the accessibility of these mediums through hand-crafted stationery that carries a deeper meaning.

Traditionally there’s been a tension between art and craft, where “art” has been seen as more sophisticated, sought-after and often produced by men, whereas “craft” is more commonly used to describe the creative work of women and indigenous people using mediums such as textiles, pottery, stationery and other everyday functional objects.

Kathryn Hastings plays with techniques from both art and craft to create miniature masterpiece wax seals.