Bepe Boatright Kafka

Bepe Boatright Kafka was born in Newport News, Virginia, and from her earliest days, drawing was her greatest joy. At twelve, she discovered oil paint—and it was love at first stroke. She earned her BFA from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and later her MFA from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied under renowned realist painters including Neil Welliver, Janet Fish, Rackstraw Downes, and Yvonne Jacquette.

A fifteen-year chapter in Utah brought her into deep communion with its vast and awe-inspiring landscapes. More recently, she has returned to her roots in the lush, untamed mountains of Southwest Virginia. There, her artistic focus has turned to the quiet magic of the forest—dappled light, moss-covered stones, lichen, and the ancient, hidden life that stirs beneath the canopy.