The more you learn about Kate Oberreich, 26, the more her recent paintings -- many of which depict colorful seedlings moving skyward through the earth -- start to make sense.

This year has been fruitful for the young artist, as the two things she most wished for, she got: a rewarding job in the arts and a studio space surrounded by a community of supportive peers.

In 2005, Oberreich was a fresh Ball State alum competing for arts-related positions in an Indianapolis job market that can be brutal on recent college graduates. After accepting a job as an administrative assistant ("I hated it," she said), Oberreich was offered work as curator of Lilly's Oncology on Canvas program, which exhibits artwork by cancer patients and their family members, friends and doctors around the world.

She'd been eager to continue working on her own art, too. But her basement studio wasn't the most pleasant or sociable working environment. So she applied to the Stutz Residency Program and became one of two resident artists for the 2006-07 year.

"It's very valuable, getting in at the start of my career," she said. "Especially when it comes to picking up the business side of art."

While she looks forward to getting advice on composition and color combinations from more experienced artists, she is even more eager to learn business skills.

"I can already go and paint a bunch of paintings," she said. "I need to learn how to market and sell them."

While Oberreich enjoyed her time in Ball State's art department, she said it didn't equip her to be a salesperson.

"When you are just out of college, you don't think about retail licenses, credit-card machines or when to charge sales tax," she said. "But these are things you need to know."

To her great benefit, the Stutz is full of willing teachers, so she's getting a crash course in the business side of her career.

"Everyone has been really welcoming," she said. "It's very much a mentoring atmosphere. Everyone is so wonderful about helping, and I think they look at the residency program as an opportunity to be mentors."

Originally published in Indy Sunday on April 27