Manteo artist Fay Davis Edwards will be River Walk Gallery and Arts Center’s guest artist for October.

Edwards’ work runs the gamut, from watercolor portraits to wood and metal work. She became serious about art in 2000 after attending Penland School of Craft as a studio assistant in a drawing workshop.

“Things really clicked at Penland with David Dodge Lewis, the instructor I was assisting. I’d never worked with wax resist, and my first drawing with charcoal, ink and wax resist turned out beautifully,” she said.

Edwards likes working with a variety of water media (acrylic, watercolors, inks) and wood. She also designs and makes cabinets and tablets.

Edwards’ subjects vary, as well. She does portraits in watercolor, and her nature scenes are inspired by Roanoke Island, where she grew up.

Her cats make an occasional appearance in mixed-media pieces.

“I wage a continual battle keeping my cats out of my palette when I’m painting. Nothing like a cat leaping into a newly mixed puddle of paint, then streaking through the house,” she said.

Edwards said she shares that studio (and her home) with her husband, a “lively flock of chickens” and three “very opinionated cats.”

Edwards has always been an artist. Her mother, a stained-glass artist, influenced Edwards. Her dad, an avid supporter of arts, had an impact, too.

“He was wonderful about taking me to galleries when I was little, and they were both very supportive of my work from an early age,” she said.

It will be the East Carolina graduate’s first appearance in River Walk. She has had solo exhibits this year at the Bonsai Gallery in Manteo and at the College of the Albemarle’s Professional Arts Gallery on the Roanoke campus.

A reception will be held for Edwards during the Oct. 18 Music in the Streets, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

River Walk Gallery and Arts Center is located at 139 W. Main St. in Washington. For more information, go to www.riverwalkgallery.com call 974-0400. Edwards may be reached at faydavisedwards@gmail.com and www.faydavisedwards.com