Three years ago, Katherine Kemp bought a 90-year-old home in Westfield and transformed it into an art gallery.

Gallery One36, at 136 E. Main St., displays work by Kemp and a dozen local artists. Kemp changes the gallery every eight weeks and is always looking for new artists.

"My goal is to inspire people by encouraging them and by inspiring them to create."

Starting Dec. 4, Kemp will start teaching jewelry-making classes. The five-week beginner's course will be Thursdays and cost $200 plus materials.

Kemp, a certified jewelry maker, will teach the art of making precious metal clay jewelry. The process involves mixing microscopic particles of silver with a binder that creates a material similar to modeling clay.

It's just another way for Kemp to spread a little bit of creativity, she said.

This year's first Numa Arts and Cultural Festival in Westfield is another. She was instrumental in getting it off the ground.

Through her contacts in the local art scene, Kemp persuaded dozens of artists to show their works. She and her husband also supported the festival financially, said downtown Westfield Neighborhood Association President Jim Anderson.

The Numa festival was organized by the neighborhood association.

"I think she exemplifies what's going on in downtown Westfield," said Anderson. "Clearly she's a new generation of downtown business people and people in the downtown area who are not just investing their money but investing their time and expertise."

Kemp's medium is painting with acrylics on primed canvas, and she said she never uses colors out of the tube.

Instead she mixes her own colors, like using yellow and black to create green. There are many layers to Kemp's work with an emphasis on texture and color.

"It's like a different chapter in every book," she said.

Two weeks ago, Kemp sold two of her pieces in one week. The artwork in her gallery ranges from $250 to $1,600.

She said business has picked up since the NUMA festival. It was named after Numa Pompilius, who by some historical accounts was the second king of Rome and known for his vision of connecting local government to the arts.