Walk into Jessica Watson's room at McDaniel College and you'll see movie posters, a CD player, a computer and other fixtures of dormitory living. You'll also see a wall covered with vibrant still lifes, landscapes and abstracts - an art gallery in a residence hall.

And if you like what you see, you can hire Watson to paint one for you.

On a recent afternoon, Warren Sims surveyed Watson's work and was sold on her talent.

"I saw the creativity and the gifts she has for painting," said Sims, 18, a freshman who commissioned a painting for his father.

Watson, 19, a sophomore, has sold about 20 paintings since September, when she started displaying her works in her room in the Westminster school's Whiteford Hall. She has received some orders for the holiday season

She seems to have brought an artistic sensibility to her small business.

"Having an art gallery in your room," she said, "is a creative and unique thing to do."

One of her art professors agreed.

"I've never heard of such a thing. It's a good idea," said Wasyl Palijczuk, who has taught at McDaniel (formerly Western Maryland) College for more than three decades.

"That girl must have some kind of determination," added Palijczuk, who has bought two paintings from Watson. "Who knows? Maybe in 10 years she will be a millionaire."

Watson's mother, Cecilia Watson, teaches art at the Dupont Park Adventist School in Washington. Jessica Watson dabbled in art while growing up and took a few courses in high school, but became more serious about her painting after enrolling at McDaniel. She is a graphic design and communications double major.

The idea for an art gallery occurred to Watson last semester at an art show. She entered a small abstract landscape, but did not win an award. After the show, various people approached her, saying that if she were to sell her paintings, they would buy them. From there, the idea for a gallery was born.

In September, shortly after the start of the fall semester at McDaniel, Watson moved more than two dozen of her paintings from her family's home to her dorm room. Because she is a resident adviser, Watson has the room to herself.

More than 60 paintings cover one wall and part of another.

Some people visit the gallery to make a purchase, while others visit to view Watson's works. She calls her gallery "Escape Art."

"Most people find it as an escape from reality, a different way of looking at the world," said Watson.

Watson sells 8-by-10-inch paintings for $8 each, medium-size paintings for $45 each, and 18-by-24-inch works for $75 each. She says she gears her prices toward college students.

"I don't have any money, so I know that they don't have any money," said Watson, who uses the money from sales to buy art supplies.

After touring the gallery, McDaniel student Allison Boyd commissioned Watson to paint purple fairies. She believed that Watson was the right artist for the job.

"I saw that she did artwork, and I liked what I saw," she said.

Watson created two whimsical paintings.

"I like them a lot," Boyd said of the final product.

While some are drawn to Watson's work because of her use of color, others are attracted to different elements that she includes, such as Scripture. Sims, who was introduced to Watson's art through their Bible study group, commissioned Watson to include biblical quotations in his painting.

The picture, titled The Shepherd, is a birthday present for Sims' father, a minister.

Another piece, Thought Process, was painted over newspaper and features verses from Psalm 25. Watson painted lightly over parts so that words such as "discrimination" show to add impact to the piece.

She also paints landscapes, nudes, abstracts and much more.

In Palijczuk's class, the assignment for one day was to paint a portrait of the teacher. Everyone in the class used skin tones, except Watson - she used four shades of blue. She gave it to her teacher, who liked it so much that he framed it for her.

That painting, The Blue Wasyl, is now on display - in Watson's dormitory gallery.