A year-long search taking her from coast to coast led artist Wathen Doggett finally to Natchez. It was love at first sight. She had found her new home.

And now, less than a year later, she has no regrets. Quite the contrary. &uot;I am so excited that sometimes I catch my breath,&uot; she said.

Doggett is among a growing number of people who saw Natchez through new eyes &045; finding qualities that long-time residents may no longer see &045; and chose to move to the city.

Some new residents cite the beauty of the area. Most name the friendliness of the people as a plus. Others like the small-town atmosphere, the safety, the history, the architecture or the reasonable real estate prices.

Like others, Doggett sought particular qualities in a community as she traveled from North Carolina to the Pacific Coast and visited Ohio, Florida &uot;and all over Acadiana in Louisiana.&uot;

Most important to her was the feeling that a town was art friendly, she said. Further, &uot;I found a lot of wonderful communities, but I had to be able to live in the town. I wanted to be able to buy a house.&uot;

In 10 years, she said, she might not have been able to choose Natchez. &uot;I think in 10 years Natchez will be fully immersed in a revival.&uot;

Doggett has bought, restored and decorated a house on Homochitto Street. A small dependency will become her studio. She has become involved in Natchez activities and has made many friends.

&uot;The first time I came to Natchez was like falling in love,&uot; she said. Friends from Zachary, La., brought her to see the town.

&uot;I came back again and again and again. I went into shops and restaurants and engaged people in conversation about their lives,&uot; she said. &uot;The more I saw and experienced, the more I fell in love with this town.&uot;

Do the people of Natchez know how beautiful their town really is, she wondered. &uot;Natchez is both exciting and embracing. And I believe we’re standing on a genuine renaissance as a major culture center in the South, and I believe that’s what will save the town. In 10 years, it will be fully immersed in the revival.&uot;

Doggett recalled walking into Brown Barnett Dixon’s and Different Accents and meeting Katherine Killelea and her son, Edward, and his wife, Kathryn. Their genuine warmth impressed her.

She has found that same kind of welcoming attitude everywhere, she said.

&uot;From the water works to the real estate agents to the tax office, I have not met one person in Natchez who is not thrilled that artists are coming to town,&uot; she said.

&uot;My daughter and her husband live in Ohio, and they really wanted me to come there. I wanted to love Ohio but I could not do it. It’s a wonderful place to raise a family but not a place for the arts.&uot;

Doggett now is fully involved in organizing an arts-related October event in downtown Natchez.

Working with Edward and Kathryn Killelea and with Tammi Gardner of the Downtown Development Association, she envisions as many as 50 booths on Commerce Street with all types of art works displayed.

&uot;We want it to be multi-cultural, something for everyone to enjoy, including also live music and food by local restaurateurs,&uot; she said.

&uot;I hope lots of local artists will come but that we’ll also bring in people

who aren’t from Natchez but may be attracted to learn more about it.&uot;

In Natchez, Doggett sees &uot;a lively center for beautiful things.&uot; Things she would like to see happen downtown include more outdoor cafes, more live music in the pubs and restaurants and an open-air theater on the bluff. She would like to see less litter.

&uot;We do have a serious problem with people in the way they treat the streets,&uot; she said.

&uot;It is an indication of how they feel about their own lives. If you feel good about yourself, you’re not inclined to throw trash in

your neighbor’s yard.&uot;

Visible reminders of keeping the city clean could help, she said. There should be signs in appropriate places. There should be more benches for seating and a trash receptacle beside each bench.

Tougher enforcement of litter laws would help, also, with fines that would be paid through community service &045; picking up litter.

&uot;There is so much already in place in Natchez, so much involvement community wide. We simply have to build on what we have, to develop fresh ideas to enhance what we have,&uot; Doggett said. &uot;I don’t see any real obstacles to overcome, just to grow the town in the direction we want it to go. What we might want to see the most is an influx of new ideas.&uot;

Doggett, always creative, spent her career years in the insurance business.

After the death of her husband several years ago, she began to paint as a way to cope with the loss.

&uot;It was so hard for me to express my feelings. I began to paint,&uot; she said.

She hung some of her paintings in her house. Friends reacted positively to the work and began to ask about buying her art. That stimulated her to continue, she said.

&uot;I began to look for gallery exposure, a way to get them out for people to see,&uot; she said. Painting continues to be an emotional experience for her. &uot;Events and encounters inspire and excite me, and that feeds my creative force.&uot;

In Natchez, her works are at Morris Gallery, upstairs at the Brown Barnett Dixon’s and Different Accents building.

Since settling in Natchez, she has started inviting friends to visit.

&uot;I have so many friends all over the nation so excited about coming to Natchez,&uot; she said. &uot;No one will be in the least disappointed.&uot;