Erin White’s passion for art began when she was 15 years old. “I think that a lot of it was my teachers in junior high,” White says. “They thought that I was pretty good at it, so they were always teaching me techniques and using my work as an example, and that really inspired me.”
So with paintbrush in hand and a blank canvas in front of her, White began painting with watercolors. “I like to paint things in nature, kind of in detail—like trees, tree bark or rocks, leaves,” White says. “I do some landscape [paintings], but mostly a lot of detailed work.” And White reveals inspiration from other painters. “Maxfield Parrish is probably one of my favorite artists; I always tried to paint like [that],” she says.
White began working at Art Preserve and Studio in 1992, and bought the studio in January. “It was owned by a family member and it was for sale. It had gone through four owners,” says White. “And I just decided to [purchase the studio] at this time because I was managing the place and my children were grown. The timing was just too perfect; I decided to finally do it.”
White works with about 20 artists who specialize in a variety of areas—from jewelry to pottery. Additionally, the gallery provides custom framing and offers a variety of gift and home décor items.
