Kathleen Harriet Huffman was born in Calhoun, Michigan in 1906, she became an accomplished watercolorist. She studied at the Denver Art Academy in Colorado where she met her future husband and fellow artist, Frank Vavra. The couple married in December of 1924. In Denver, Kathleen worked as a fashion artist for the Denver Dry Goods Company. In 1929, the Vavras purchased the general store and post office of Insmont, for eight hundred dollars. Insmont is located west of Denver near Bailey, Colorado. The couple transformed the space into a home and studio and the scenic location inspired their work.