For Barbara Welborn, being autistic isn't a problem. In fact, she considers herself lucky.

Her paintings prove it. The happiness and exuberance expressed in them tell you this 22-year-old doesn't let a developmental disability like autism hold her back.

Welborn began painting at a young age. She said she comes by it naturally. “My grandmother has been an artist since I was born, so I got it from her. And my big sister is very creative.”

A graduate of Wiscasset High School, she attends art classes at SpinOff Studio in Gardiner. The day program is offered through the Brunswick-based Independence Association, which provides services and support to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Welborn has also taken classes at the affiliate, Spindleworks, in Brunswick.

Welborn's whimsical paintings are what some call outsider art. Outsider artists are usually self-taught, and outside what is considered the artistic establishment.

Her favorite subject of late is cats — in costumes. “My aunt Gail wanted me to paint her cats and she sent me photos of them,” she said. Welborn’s mother, Kimberly, said people saw them and asked for paintings of their cats. Welborn’s dream job is to paint a cat picture for her favorite actress, Kate Winslet.

She has painted cats as beekeepers, astronauts, florists, chefs, carpenters, lumberjacks, and a Scottish cat. “Some of my ancestors hail from Scotland,” Welborn said.

The artist, who uses acrylics, India ink and watercolor pencil, isn't limited to paintings and drawings. She also works with sculpture, and embroidery, as with a pillow that features a small figure of a cat surrounded by an array of multi-colored buttons.

A self portrait, 'Jungle Prom,” painted on two, two-square-foot canvases, portrays the artist in a jungle scene. It was done in Anchorage, Alaska, where Welborn was born. The family moved to Wiscasset in 2010.

She has a special pencil that she uses for all her drawing. It was given to her by her father, a teacher at Lewiston High School. “This is the greatest mechanical pencil ever,” she said. “I am in love with this pencil. It's perfect!”

“We've always fostered Barbara's love of art,” Kimberly said. “While she functions well in many areas, there are others we work on together here at home, and at day programs in the local area. We have all worked in conjunction since she was 3, and together have helped Barbara be the confident young woman she is today.

“Painting has been therapeutic for Barbara. It has helped her make friends and connections with people and it's helped her to learn a lot about art.”

“That is absolutely true,” Welborn said with a big smile.

Recently she made a birdhouse entirely out of wine corks, and gave it to her neighbor. She said she plans to make another one, but right now she's too busy with the cats. “We have a cat at our house, and he is a sweet cat. His name is Jett. He is as good as gold!”

Kimberly said she loves how her daughter perceives the world around her. “She has such a beautiful mind. She sees things in a way that you and I don't always see them. She has told me since she was able to talk that she wanted to be an artist, so I've done everything I can to help her.

“Barbara doesn't classify herself. She knows she is autistic but she feels that this is why she is so special!”

Barbara Welborn put it in her own words: “I don't mind having autism. It makes me the unique person I am."

Welborn will be painting in front of Beelicious Market in Wiscasset during the final 2016 Wiscasset Art Walk, on Sept. 29. Come meet her, and view some of her art inside the market. It’s guaranteed to make you smile.