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The commercial is inescapable. In an airy, sunlit studio, actress Jane Seymour paints broad strokes on a white canvas. It may seam like a clever marketing scheme, but the "Open Hearts" collection grew out of real struggle. An early '90s split from fourth husband left her drowning in debt and a single mother of two. She rebooted a childhood love of painting and remembered the tagline that has become central to the Kay Jewelers ads: "If you keep your heart open, love will always find its way in."

"One minute, I thought I was at the peak of my career and doing very well," Seymour recalls. "And the next minute, I realized that my life was not what it appeared to be. It felt like the whole world had fallen out from beneath me."

After a charity silent auction brought an artist to her house to paint her children, life took an unexpected turn. The portraitist commented on one of Seymour's finger paintings, and offered free lessons. At last, Seymour found the therapeutic release she was looking for.

"I just went into this very peaceful place," she says. "It was almost as if I was painting myself into some kind of serenity."

The Open Hearts design has carried Seymour far. The paintings came first, followed by a handmade necklace she wore on "Dancing with the Stars" as a tribute to her mother. Kay Jewelers spotted an opportunity. Today, the collection includes nearly 50 pendants, rings and earrings. She released a book last year with passages of peace from the likes of Mother Teresa and John F. Kennedy, as well as original essays. The Open Hearts concept is easy to pass off as overly sentimental. Seymour is nothing but sincere.

"I always thought in times of war and problems between cultures, that we [should] be able to open our hearts and let go of the past," she explains. "You really can't have peace unless you open your heart."

Opportunity seems to be everywhere, but Seymour doesn't exhibit the greed of an opportunist. She spends hours at a time in the Malibu studio built by her current husband, actor-producer James Keach. Whether or not you dismiss Seymour's watercolor and giclee prints as hotel art, it's hard not to admire the small empire she has created. In addition to her own work and the Kay collaboration, she sells painting kits on her Web site, heads up a home interiors collection and pitches Natural Advantage skin care products.

"It's unbelievable. Who would ever imagine that it would take off like this?" says Seymour. "I just count my blessings because there are so many people who are having a really tough time, especially in my industry. Thank goodness I'm not counting on acting."

Her two appearances in the Washington area this weekend will be at the Tysons Corner and Montgomery Mall branches of Wentworth Galleries, a chain with locations in eight states. But don't be fooled; assembly line series a la Thomas Kinkaid hold no appeal. Variety, not profit, fuels her creative fire. Yes, she still paints open hearts. However, landscapes and still lifes dominate her online slideshows.

"I work in many mediums, unlike many artists who do one thing and make 20 of the same," she notes. "I am not afraid to try different styles and different techniques. That confuses people sometimes, but that's who I am as an actress, too. I don't just play one character."

At 59, Seymour is enjoying a healthy second act, and has no intentions of allowing art to overshadow performing. She recently starred in four independent films. In 2005, a new generation witnessed her play against type as the sexually charged Kathleen Cleary in "Wedding Crashers." Visibility is important, but not every role that comes along is worth taking.

"I've been offered some things, but I didn't feel that they were really that good," says Seymour. "They were good, but I didn't feel that the people making them had enough money to do them properly."

To many, she is still Dr. Quinn or the Bond girl Solitaire from "Live and Let Die." The actress resents this, pointing out that she starred opposite Christopher Reeve in the 1980 drama "Somewhere in Time" and won a Golden Globe for a television adaptation of "East of Eden." Still, she is proud of her six-year run as the American Frontier's most famous fictional woman physician.

"When I look back on it, it's incredibly relevant to what's going on in the world today," Seymour says. "I didn't realize that within its genre how good it is. What it did was take American history and make it personal and emotional. I know some people think it was this soft little thing, but I'm really proud to have done it."

At times, both acting and art take a back seat to her humanitarian work. She has worked closely with the American Red Cross for several years and her J and J Foundation for children has been sending money to support rebuilding efforts in Haiti.

"It's opened the world's eyes to the fact that there are other potential Haitis everywhere," she remarks.

Seymour is generous, but this weekend is all about the art.

"If anyone told me that I would have a career as an artist after being an actress, I couldn't imagine it," says Seymour. "But the truth is, I was painting before I acted. I just came back to it."

Jane Seymour will appear on Friday, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Wentworth Gallery: Westfield Montgomery Mall, 7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. Call 301-365-3270 or visit janeseymour.com.