Katina Wood Desmond grew up in the mountains of rural Topanga Canyon, California, surrounded by natural beauty, which undoubtedly influenced her worldview, and by extension her art. "I think that the 'spirits' or images that I see in natural or found objects are directly related to my childhood experience roaming the woods and mountains near my home," she says. Her parents were both professional artists and her grandfather was an avid photographer of the Alaskan wilderness in the early 1900s. She was given her first camera at the age of eight.
Katina studied fine art, photography, and design in college. Her work is included in numerous public, private, national and international collections. She currently lives in Pasadena, California. She is a founding member of 4260 Black & White Photographers Guild, and a board member of Pasadena Society of Artists.