Katharine is a native Houstonian. She is a contemporary abstract painter.Beginning in high school, Katharine created doodle drawings for family and friends, which she continued at various workplaces, surprising coworkers with small doodles on notes left on their desks. The doodling progressed to dabbling in painting as a way to relax while working in social services and even more so while working in the Texas Legislature. Colors, energy, and emotion often inspire Katharine’s art as well as her passion for service and advocacy.In the midst of completing her undergraduate studies, Katharine's path to community service began when she volunteered for 18 months at Nuestras Pequenas Rosas in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a historically impoverished country trapped in a cycle of poverty. She later continued her studies and obtained a Master's of Social Work. Katharine has served communities through the child welfare system, advocacy, and legislative strategy. Beginning her career working with children in foster care, she then transitioned to working around the Texas Capitol as a staffer and advocate, focusing on public policy issues related to physical and mental health, substance abuse, and criminal justice.While analyzing systemic barriers to community mental health services and creating legislative opportunities to expand access to these services (left brain activity), Katharine began painting in her living room to tap into her expressive and creative side (right brain activity), enabling her brain to explore unconventional policy and legislative solutions. The more she painted, the more she began recognizing her passion for sharing her paintings with the world.When Katharine “retired” from the Texas Legislature, she jumped feet-first into building an art career…her hands have been covered in paint ever since.