Katya Held was born in 1972 in St. Petersburg, Russia. She began painting at the age of six and shortly thereafter started taking lessons in painting and ceramics. Her extraordinary artistic talent was soon recognized. She was a mere child when her art work was selected for exhibition at the Central Exhibition Hall of St. Petersburg.  As a teenager, Katya studied painting and drawing in the School of Painting connected with the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in St. Petersburg.

In 1989, Katya enrolled in a six-year program at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design. Her major areas of concentration were in classical painting, drawing and decorative textile. During semester breaks, she frequently traveled to Europe, where she exhibited at prestigious art galleries and created a number of plein-air paintings. Her education at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design culminated in a Master of Arts degree in 1995, when she was 23 years of age.

Following her graduation, Katya continued to travel throughout Europe. Many articles and photos from these trips were regularly published in various magazines, including St. Petersburg's travel magazine, "One Hundred Ways," for which she served as editor and artist from 1997 to 1998.  Since 1998 Katya has exhibited her work in the United States.  In 1999 she was inducted into the League of Designers of Russia and in 2000 became a candidate for the League of Artists of Russia.  Also in 2000, Katya continued her education by attending courses in classical painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.  There she copied works of old masters from the museum's collections.  In 2002 she studied portrait painting technique of 19th century Russian painters at master class at I.E. Repin's Academy in St. Petersburg.

Today Katya maintains studios in both Philadelphia and St. Petersburg. She exhibits at well-known galleries throughout Europe and the United States. Many of her paintings are in private and corporate collections throughout the world.