By Natalie Austin -- Daily Staff Writer

FRONT ROYAL — On a miserable day on the couch, recovering from the flu, Kelly Walker was channel surfing when she stopped to watch an artist painting on television.

She was inspired; she, too, could do this, she says, remembering that morning in the late 1980s.

Indeed she could, and does, at a rate that seems to defy possibility.

She paints a painting nearly every day, like eating an apple to keep the doctor away.

By the 119th day of the year, Walker had completed 95 paintings, posted on her Internet blog, as part of movement known as Daily Art Painters, started by a Richmond artist four years ago.

Paintings, most averaging about $100, sell well in cyberspace, but Walker still had dreams of a gallery.

Located in a tiny, brick building, circa 1830s, right smack in front of the sprawling stone Warren County Courthouse, the gallery looks like it was whimsically dabbed in by an artist to the historic downtown.

"It's small but it's such a cute space," says Walker, a vivacious blonde who smiles more often than not.

Located at 105 E. Main St., Delilah's Gifts for All Seasons, opened last September in the tiny space, whose past inhabitants ranged from a senator to a tattoo artist. It was built as a trust company; the old vault now contains displays of artwork. The shop is named for her grandmother's beloved housekeeper, who Walker loved as a child.

"It's nice that it's on Main Street. A lot of tourists walk by; it's right on the walking tour," she says.

A former director of the local chamber of commerce and other nonprofit groups, Walker is naturally chatty with her customers. It paid off in February, when the shop and the historic downtown were featured in an issue of Virginia Living magazine.

"It pays to talk to people sometimes," the Georgia native says, laughing.

The walls of the gallery are lined with photos of pets, still life works, wildlife and other subjects. She paints in both oil and pastel.

Walker says she began painting full time about a year and a half ago, when the little brick building became available.

Her involvement with the daily painter movement has been both motivating and lucrative. Art galleries seem a little intimidating to some people, she says, and the online source is becoming more popular. Paintings are more affordable and people don't even have to leave home to find infinite subjects. Walker also does commission work.

"The Internet opened art to everyone," she says. "You can cruise around and get what you like."

Walker is a big-time dog lover, and her online gallery, www.doubledogdesigns.com, was named for her two dogs, Truman, a basset hound, and Jefferson, a Labrador/basset mix. Jefferson passed away, and Walker adopted a former puppy mill dog, a fluffy cairn terrier, whose painting also is featured on her home page. She does a lot of pet portraits for patrons who provide photographs of their animals.

All are done in Walker's impressionistic style, which accentuates the features of many breeds, adding more interest with the artist's interpretation.

Her daily paintings can be found online at www.doubledogddesigns.blogspot.com as well as the daily painters site, www.dailyartpainters.com. Once she completes a painting, she photographs it and uploads it to the site.

Her May 1 postings features a 9-by-12 oil on canvas of a small barn by the water on a Virginia coast. It's lovely; it's available for a mere $125.

She works from photographs, seldom having the time to paint on location in "Plein Air" as the impressionists before her did. Her Web site does, however, contain many works she has created in this manner.

"I don't get bored," she says. "Thank God for digital cameras."

A recent trip to Hilton Head, S.C., inspired her to paint a pile of colorful golf shoes, and she also has done a series on golf bags.

With a gallery along historic Main Street, with its antique stores, restaurants, and other offerings, Walker says she hopes to up the ante a bit for local artists.

The first 3rd Thursday Art Walk will be held today from 5 to 8 p.m. on Main Street. Others will follow on June 19, July 17, Aug. 21, Sept. 18 and Oct. 16. Artists will be painting along the street. Live entertainment and food also will be featured during the events.

"We hope to get people downtown, thinking about art," Walker says.

She also will be teaching a class, "Promising Picassos," for children 12 and older at the Blue Ridge Arts Council on Main Street this summer.

Four art camp sessions will be held during June 23-26 and June 30 through July 3. More information on the classes can be obtained by calling BRAC at 635-9909 or going online to kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com for a registration form.

Along with Walker's paintings, the works of about a dozen artists and artisans are on display and for sale at Delilah's, from handmade jewelry to purses. It's an eclectic collection of talent and Walker is happy to offer it.

For Walker, however, it's about the people.

About 85 percent of her visitors are from out of town, she says, and she hopes to attract more locals with the monthly art walks. It's about making art accessible, according to the artist, whether it be in her lovely little building or a blog posting in cyberpsace.

"I love meeting the people who come in, I love to ask where they came from," says Walker, relating a story of a couple on their honeymoon staying in Front Royal.

Delilah's is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information on daily painters, visit the Web site, www.dailyartpainters.com. Walker's work also can be found at www.doubledogdesigns.blogspot.com. Call 683-9688 or send her an e-mail at kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com for more information.

Contact Natalie Austin at naustin@nvdaily.com