Upon walking into Katie Gallegos’ apartment, one is greeted with a large set of googly eyes affixed to her refrigerator. Entering her workspace, it becomes clear that the googly eyes are consistent with her style and her art — bright, zany, and evoking childhood nostalgia.

Iowa City artist Gallegos creates pop art-inspired paintings and apparel with an unconventional twist.

Gallegos’ style is largely inspired by pop culture, specifically the ’80s. Her love for offbeat cult-classics has translated into her work as an artist. “I feel like the movies I like and the artists I follow kind of all have the same visual,” Gallegos said. “I’m really into ’80s musicals. I love Little Shop of Horrors and Rocky Horror. I just like colorful, cartoonish worlds. I kind of style my work after Pee Wee’s ‘Playhouse’ and other iconic ’80s cartoony works.”

Gallegos’ passion for art started when she was young. She discovered that art gave her an outlet for creativity that she was unable to find in other activities.

“I’ve always been a crafter since I was small, and art classes were always something that made me want to try,” she said.

As an adult, Gallegos was able to refine her artistry.

“I remember painting my first painting,” Gallegos said, “I painted toy teeth, and I put googly eyes as braces on it. Seeing it finished and how clean it looked I’m like, ‘Oh, this is it. This is what I want to pursue.’ ”

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Outside of her work as an artist, Gallegos works at White Rabbit, a clothing store in downtown Iowa City that emphasizes handmade goods created by local artists. Cortnie Widen, the owner, says she likes to hire and support local artists. When Gallegos sent in her job application to work there, her portfolio caught Widen’s eye.

“We were kind of just blown away by her work,” Widen said, “You could tell that she wasn’t just dabbling in stuff. She had a big collection of work that we were impressed with. It was all kind of within a theme. She does very graphic art. It’s got definitely a kind of punk edge to it, and that’s something we were attracted to right off the bat.”

Gallegos’ paintings and hand-painted apparel stand out with bright, primary colors. Her pieces reflect the goofy, youthful, and unrestrained nature of adolescence.

“Primary colors have a really playschool vibe and aesthetic to me that I think is exciting and is more enticing for my eye to look at than neutral colors,” Gallegos said, “I do have a lot of neutral colors in my normal life, but I feel like art is like toys to me. It’s just fun to look at.”

She hopes to build upon her successes by expanding her audience and selling more from her online store.

“Currently, I kind of make my rounds with the craft fairs,” Gallegos said, “I’m trying to work more on my online sales. In theory, it would be great to just work of home, and create stuff, and sell paintings. That’s kind of the goal. I think I’m heading in the right direction in terms of finding an audience that I think is receptive to my work and thinks it’s fun.”