This is the third year that both artists are participating in Open Studios, in which local artists literally open their studios and allow residents a peek into the creative process.

Boyle began exploring his creative side when he was laid off in 1999. He took up painting and tried out digital graphics but ultimately found his niche in watercolor.

Boyle likes to mix a little humor into his paintings. For instance, one of his paintings, Bachtopus and the Undersea Sonata, features a musical octopus.

"I like to do paintings that are representational but have a comic element as well," he says.

Peterman also uses watercolor as her medium of choice. This year, however, she dabbles in Sumi-e ink stick, which creates wet, black brushstrokes typically found in Asian paintings.

Peterman says she enjoys the way the stark ink contrasts with the softer look of watercolor. She has also learned to appreciate the spontaneity that painting with Sumi-e ink necessitates.

"It's not a precise placement," she says. "You have to be very free."

Peterman will display her work with three first-time artists: Lesley Lambert, Diana Leone and Lisa Webb. Peterman, an Open Studios veteran, will help guide the novices through the process of displaying their work to the public for the first time.

It wasn't that long ago that Peterman was the student. In 1999, while working as a certified public accountant and home-schooling her children, Peterman began taking art classes at the UC-Santa Cruz extension in Cupertino. After one class, she was hooked.

"I realized I had to paint every day for the rest of my life," she says.

She soon discovered that watercolor was her medium of choice, for reasons both practical and aesthetic.

"Watercolor doesn't smell bad," she says. "I was working in the corner of my dining room and I needed a medium my children could put up with."

Peterman selected watercolor for another reason.

"They told me watercolor is hard," she says. "I thought, 'Then it's just right for me.' I love a challenge."

After about three years of experience, Peterman was ready for Open Studios.

"It looked like a good opportunity for emerging artists to display their work," she says. "You can't know if you are good or not until you get feedback."

None of her work sold that year, but she didn't let that stop her from trying again. The following year she sold several pieces. Peterman says she looks forward to hearing people's reactions to her art this year.

"I invite people to tell me honestly what they think," she says. "If they don't like it, then I want to know that, too. I like to challenge and engage people to talk about art."

Peterman's home studio opens May 14 and 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 891 Ithaca Ave., Sunnyvale. She also displays her work at her friend Jen Norton's studio, 1969 Elden Drive, San Jose, on May 21 and 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Boyle shows his work at the homes of Elaine Revell, 2823 Russell Court, Saratoga, and Sue Ashley, 1910 Oak Knoll Drive, San Jose.

For more information about Open Studios, visit www.svopenstudios.org or call 650.562.1949 and leave a message. Maps showing studio sites around the valley can be found in all public libraries, but to find out where a particular artist is located, it's necessary to go online.