Margaret (Peg) Watkins

I am a native Nebraskan, living and working in Omaha. I hold undergraduate degrees in Fine Arts (thesis work in ceramics) and K-12 Education. I have also earned a Masters Degree in Management. I have taught all areas of art in a school setting, as well as, a recreational setting and worked for the Omaha Parks & Recreation Department for 27 years, retiring in 2007 to devote my efforts to my art.

Over the years I have worked in a variety of media but have finally "found my soul" in fused glass. As in the Modern Style of Architecture I have chosen to base my glass designs on shape and color. As a modernist designer I choose to stay away from decorative elements, preferring to emphasize geometric shapes, placing a strong emphasis on simplicity and clarity of form.

Glass Fusion is a process using colored sheets of glass, time, and temperature. Each item is hand cut, assembled and fired to around 1600 degrees. This allows the sheets of colored glass to melt into each other or fuse. They are then slowly cooled to prevent breakage. This process takes about 10 hours after which each piece is hand sanded. Plates and bowls undergo an additional firing to around 1300 degrees in order to "slump" them into a desired shape.

In the fall of 2010 I decided to try my hand, once again, at abstract painting. I worked with OMA member Rhoni Moore for a few months and have since started taking classes. I am very interested to see how my painting style is affecting my glass pieces and how my glass style is affecting my paintings, an interesting journey.

My home studio is open by appointment and custom orders are always welcome.

Jody Anderson

I am fascinated with color, light and shadow. I find myself constantly observing how light plays against objects and the colors that can be found in the deep shadows. Having no formal training in art, I picked up my first paint brush in 2000. While I have painted in groups over the years, I now find great joy in the solitude of my studio almost daily setting up and painting still life work. The collecting and incorporating of my finds into my oil work fulfills my desire to create an artistic and restful painting.

I recognize my talent as a gift from the Lord and enjoy looking for all the ways He has created beauty in the play of light and shadow in nature. I observe and learn a lot from my daily nature walks and I try to bring back what I see into my artwork.

While my current artistic passion is still life, I also enjoy figurative and landscapes as well. Having studied with Jeff Hepworth and Elizabeth Robbins, I also have a great appreciation for works of the Masters, Vermeer and John Singer Sargent.

Very simply, I feel I was designed with a creative spirit and hope to use that gift to bring a place of rest to those who observe my art. I am very thankful for what I have been given in life and hopeful to pass along inspiration for others to see all the goodness God has created.

I currently reside in Omaha with my wonderful husband Frosty and we have four grown daughters who bring us much joy!

My work can be found at the following locations:

Old Market Artists Gallery	Omaha, NE
Joslyn Art Museum	Omaha, NE
Durham Museum	Omaha, NE
Cooper Gallery	Ashland, NE
Independent Thought Gallery	West Des Moines, IA
Albrecht-Kemper Museum	St. Joseph, MO