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Stroke of genius

A young artist reaps prestige and a ticket to pursue her dreams. She's among a gaggle of national winners.

Katherine Schuler had no idea the 8- by 10-inch portrait she painted of her little brother would win a national award - let alone garner wall space at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Schuler, who is 18, painted the picture about a year ago for an art class using what she calls a "practice canvas." She learned recently that it earned her a Gold Key award in the 2003 Scholastic Art and Writing competition, the longest-running student recognition program for visual arts and writing in the United States.

The painting, titled Respect Your Mom, will hang in the Corcoran for a month this summer.

Based on her portfolio, the recent Palm Harbor University High School graduate also earned a four-year scholarship to the Corcoran School of Art and Design, worth nearly $80,000.

"I'm not used to winning things," she said. "I'm really looking forward to going to Washington and seeing my painting at the school I'm going to be attending."

Schuler started taking art classes in elementary school. She took a couple of Advanced Placement art classes at Palm Harbor and attended a precollege art program at the Kansas City Art Institute two years ago. She called that "a life-altering experience."

"From then on, I have wanted to go to art college," she said.

The experience and confidence students get from participation in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition opens doors for them, said Pinellas district art supervisor Sue Froemming.

"It's very prestigious to win a Scholastic national award," she said. "It has been recognized for more than 70 years as the most prestigious student venue in the United States."

Pinellas students earned more awards in visual arts in 2003 than in any year Froemming can remember.

"We usually hover at five to 12," she said. "We've never had this many Gold Keys. I think it says something about our whole K-12 program that we can consistently have students winning national awards."