Krista Licata (Junior BirdGirl) is an illustrator, storyteller, and collector of interesting questions.

Her work lives at the intersection of observation, interpretation, and narrative. Sometimes that means drawing people and places from life. Sometimes it means exploring an idea through metaphor or visual storytelling. Sometimes it means building an entirely new world around a character, a place, or a single moment that refuses to let go.

Krista believes stories are everywhere; in a conversation overheard at a coffee shop, a forgotten piece of local history, or the routines and traditions that shape everyday life. Through sketchbooks, research, and observation, she gathers these fragments and transforms them into illustrations, paintings, and visual narratives.

Her work explores the intersection of people, place, history, and culture, using storytelling to uncover the humor, complexity, and meaning hidden in everyday experience. Based in Vermont, she works across reportage, editorial illustration, narrative projects, and personal studio work.

No matter the format, every project begins with the same question:

What story is waiting to be told here?