Self-taught and motivated, Jo Watson has been an artist since her youth, though only after a long journey of divergent paths has she parlayed her talent into a full time passion. A former display artist, arts & craft instructor, and elementary school teacher, Jo has been a Charleston resident for over twenty-five years. Her work reflects aspects of lowcountry living, the sea, her family, and the exuberance of daily life -all of which are echoed in her wide range of whimsical to serious contemporary art pieces that have been exhibited at a variety of galleries, including juried work in the SC Artisans Center. While well versed in many media, Jo's true love is working with wood. This passion began with building furniture for her home and quickly expanded to creating custom art pieces for family and friends. Jo brings her own unique definition of art to her work, by designing functional pieces that combine wood with other materials. Her signature pieces range from hand painted or decoupaged fanciful fish ready to hang up your favorite things as seen in her "Hooked-Up" collection to a more organic theme in her newest collection, "Branching Out." These distinctive sculptural works are a divergence from Jo's characteristic colorful style and feature an exceptional blend of recycled metal, branches of lowcountry trees and a variety of insignia reflective of South Carolina. Each of Jo's eclectic, hand-crafted pieces represent how she lives and works… creatively, intensely, and in constant pursuit of original ideas for her next creation.