turquoise beads

Gallery Los Olivos will feature two artists, jewelry designer Patricia Watkins and watercolorist Peggy Fletcher, in April.

The public is invited to an artists’ reception from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 1, at the gallery.

  Watkins has been designing beaded jewelry for 15 years. She started with Zarah Company who used artists for designing, but later found working for herself more flexible. She is known for her classical feminine touch in her pieces and will have many of these on display.

 Watkins uses sterling silver and gold filled findings for the bulk of her work, but occasionally uses brass and copper as well as vintage beads.

For this show Watkins will also include one case of whimsically themed jewelry as a tribute to a wonderful friend from the past. This jewelry is sure to use costume pieces from the past such as clowns, dogs, cats, and faces.

Fletcher brings inspired work to this show from her past travels as well as current passions. Some of these passions surround us everyday: dogs, cats, butterflies, fauna and flowers.

Fletcher’s work remains gentle and fluid while bringing important details into focus. Her work looks and feels serene due to a soft fresh color palette balanced  by soft value changes.  

Fletcher enjoys doing animal portrait commissions in her spare time.  

“I have seen many of these in progress and they are always impressive,” said Watkins. “As animal lovers know, a cat is not just a cat. Sometimes they have nine lives. Peggy seems to capture that quality.”