Early life and education Born Kaja Murphy in Bellevue, Washington, Kaja was raised in Kirkland, Washington. She graduated from
Juanita High School in
Kirkland, Washington in 1988. She attended the
University of Washington, where she was heavily involved with the local chapter of the
Society for Creative Anachronism. She graduated from the University of Washington, and she married
Phil Foglio in 1993.
Career at
Gen Con Indy 2007 Kaja, with Phil, founded Studio Foglio, LLC in 1995. The studio became the venue for her art prints, many of which have been produced as cards for
Magic: The Gathering. Kaja Foglio co-writes and illustrates the
webcomic Girl Genius with Phil Foglio. She coined the term "gaslamp fantasy" to describe its genre of 19th century ahistorical fantasy. She serves as the chief graphic designer and
webmaster for the Studio Foglio and
Airship Entertainment websites. Foglio also contributes to other projects, including providing the illustrations
Barry Hughart's anthology of
The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. In 2009 the Foglios and their colorist, Cheyenne Wright, won the first
Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story, for
Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones. In 2010, 2011 they won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story again. Having won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story for three years running, Kaja, Phil, and Cheyenne announced that, in order to show that the category was a "viable award", they refused nomination for the following year (2012). ==Works illustrated==