If Amy Brown had not moved to her Caribbean hideaway, she might have never realized her gift, or worse yet, she might still be at a job that wasn't fulfilling.

For Brown, it began 10 years ago when two of her friends moved to Belize to run a resort.

She decided to take a break from her advertising sales job and visit her friends in the small country located in Central America just south of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Brown, 44, liked the country so much she decided to rent an apartment and live there, off and on, for a decade. The apartment sat on the beach, with an inviting swim in the ocean just a walk away. She became inspired by what she saw, expressing it through painting and sculpting, an natural outlet for her daily observations. She discovered that creating art brought a sense of inner fulfillment and an additional side benefit—she was good at it. So she opened a ceramics studio on the beach.

"I would just sit on the beach and paint and watch the world go by," Brown says. "I'd lose a week, just painting."

While in Belize, she focused on ceramics and acrylic painting, and her art is now displayed throughout her Willow Glen home. Brown's goal is to see her art grace the homes and galleries of various collectors throughout the country.

"I'd like to work with decorators and do commission work for people," she says.

She has made a few forays out of her home, showcasing some paintings and ceramic sculptures at Campbell's Stone Griffin Gallery and selling ceramic sharks, which can hold flowers or be used as decorations, at the HP Pavilion gift shop for San Jose Sharks fans.

"She brings a fresh approach to her work," says Stone Griffin Gallery owner Dana Smith. "Her work is very unique."

Brown's work has been displayed in the gallery for about three months, and Smith says he has already sold a few of her pieces.

Willow Glen resident Linda Wilson recently commissioned Brown to paint a canvas of sweet peas for her 12-year-old daughter, Erin.

Erin was born in March, when sweet peas are in full bloom, and Wilson says she used to call her daughter "my little sweet pea," so she wanted to give her daughter a picture of the purple flowers for her bedroom.

"It isn't overly feminine or over dramatic," Wilson says. "This painting will be with her for the rest of her life. It is very sentimental and very elegant-looking."

Wilson says this is the first time she has commissioned an artist to create a custom piece and admits that although she likes art, she has never been a collector.

"I have two Yorkshire Terriers and I'm thinking of having Amy paint them, too," she says. "Her work is just so unique."

Brown hopes more people like Wilson will become interested in her art so she can continue to grow and thrive as an artist. Her home doubles as her studio, complete with a painting easel, pottery wheel, kiln, slab roller and personal design molds.

She plans to stay in Willow Glen for the near future and showcase her work throughout Northern California, moving from paintings of flowers and beach settings to works that depict the Napa Valley, like the one she painted of grapes and grape leaves.

"I hope I can make a living doing this," she says. "You just get hooked."

For more information about the Amy Brown Studio, call 408.947.9183 or email her at amybelize@yahoo.com.