My name is Mackenzie Katsmar. I’ve spent nearly a decade as a digital artist, building my career through photography, marketing, and creative direction. I teach studio photography at Niagara College, and for the past three years I’ve been expanding my craft through game design.

I’m driven by a constant desire to learn new tools, new techniques, new ways of seeing. That curiosity fuels my work as an artist, art director, and educator. I take pride in being adaptable, always pushing myself into unfamiliar territory to grow my creative skills.

My background in marketing has sharpened my ability to craft visuals that speak directly to specific audiences. At the same time, collaboration remains one of my greatest passions. It’s deeply rewarding building meaningful work alongside talented people.

Artistically, I’m drawn to thoughtful, high contrast imagery melancholic palettes, symbolism, and the beauty found in darker narratives. Stories like A Song of Ice and Fire, the Dark Souls series, and the original Alan Wake resonate with me and often influence my creative direction.

I often find myself stepping into leadership roles on creative projects taking on production, art direction, and art lead responsibilities. Guiding a team toward work they’re genuinely excited about is something I value deeply. I take pride in creating space for people to explore what they love, while supporting them as they push into challenging, ambitious, and meaningful art.

My love for game development lives in 3D modeling, texturing, and storytelling through characters and environments. Creating unique items, sculpting memorable characters, and designing levels that subtly tell their own stories is something I find genuinely delightful.

I love learning new things, sharing what I know, and diving obsessively into fantasy lore and world building. At the end of the day, I’m happiest when I’m creating, exploring ideas, environmental story telling, and bringing imagination into something that evokes a reaction from someone.