As a teacher, Tampa watercolor artist falls in love with art all over again

TAMPA, Fla. - Katie White is a watercolor artist who works out of her South Tampa home. Primarily she works on interior paintings that create a sense of peace for her customers.

Katie learned how to paint as a third-grader and eventually went on to receive a degree in art from Washington University. After college, her passion for art was pushed aside as she started a family.

Years later, Katie was working as an art teacher with students at Mitchell Elementary when she fell in love with art all over again.

"They didn't care where the brush went and I realized that's the kind of artist that I wished I had been," she says.

She started painting canvases for her friends to hang in their homes and three years ago made the decision to go professional.

"I realized at that point that I have a gift to give someone else, an opportunity to take them from the chaotic world they might be living into this moment where they can stand in front of a painting and just kind of escape," says Katie.

Now, some of her work is featured in catalogs like Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and Ballard Designs. But the best place to see her full collection is at www.katiewhiteartist.com