I have lived in the Baltimore area most of my life, while I also spent short periods in Pennsylvania and Michigan. I went to Penn State for graduate school and Towson University for my undergraduate degree. I received a Ford Foundation Grant for the Arts and a teaching assistantship to attend Penn State. While at Towson University I studied with Enrique Montenegro, learning a great deal about color and brushwork. I also studied with Richard Meyhew, learning what he liked to call the "Color grid" during my time at Penn State.
Kate Kretz earned a Cours De La Civilisation Francaise certificate at The Sorbonne, a BFA at SUNY Binghamton (SUNY Foundation Award for Excellence in Fine Arts, Harpur College Departmental Honors in Art, & Harpur College Academic Honors) and her MFA at the University of Georgia.