Musesssence.
A Muse comes into being through the act of creation. What begins as an idea is shaped by the hand into something seen and felt, and through that transformation, the Muse itself emerges. This cycle — idea, form, emergence — is the essence of the Muse.
This ethos guides each piece of fine art created by Musessence, from canvas to fingertips.
The Muse is never separate from the art it inspires. She is the inspiration, the medium, and the masterpiece.
MUSESSENCE is a studio devoted to fine art and handcrafted design, spanning both wearable and traditional mediums. The practice includes hand-painted press-on nail sets created as miniature works of art, as well as original canvas paintings and commissioned pieces for interior spaces. Regardless of scale, each creation is approached with the same attention to composition, material quality, and thoughtful balance—treating every surface, from fingertip to canvas, as a place where art can live.
The Artist
Subtle influences of Japanese culture and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest often emerge throughout the work, reflecting the artist’s heritage and upbringing. Katie Kaestner is a Washington State–based artist who has been engaged in art since childhood and has worked as a freelance artist for over a decade. She founded MUSESSENCE to give identity to the particular joy she discovered in carrying narrative and fine detail across vastly different scales — from canvases measured in feet to the half-inch canvas of a single nail.
At its core, MUSESSENCE is born from a reverence for the human capacity to imagine, refine, and give form to beauty. In Greek mythology, inspiration was personified as the Muse — and yet the Muse has always lain within. Each work is an invitation to recognize that creative force as one’s own.