There’s a beautiful birdhouse in the cherry tree just outside my window. It was painted by a fellow artist, and a bird family has made it their home for the last three years. As the birds come and go, chirping all day long, I think of how their lives are so busy… gathering the materials for their nest and preparing each Spring for their new little families. My own baby birds may have already flown the nest, but I can’t say I’m any less busy than I was in earlier years. In fact, I missed writing to you last week…

Hi, it’s The Birthday Girl! Yes, today is my birthday, and it’s turning out to be a glorious spring day! I’ve been starting to wake up my garden now for the last couple weeks, getting my hands in the dirt and smelling the fresh air. It’s done a lot for my spirits. Anyway, this has been an exciting week for our family (and not just because of my birthday)! One of the highlights was on Sunday when my granddaughter Aria attended her first big art show. The show is called “Pure Pigment,” and it’s currently running at The Artsmiths of…

In the last two weeks, I’ve shared stories with you about my first two Pittsburgh paintings. This week I’m going to skip ahead one and tell you a story about the fourth painting in my first Pittsburgh series, “Sharing the Season at Market Square.” When I began my preliminary sketches, I made the creative decision to remove an entire block between what was then the Jenny Lee Bakery and a group of older buildings, including the “1902 Landmark Tavern.” There was another nondescript building there at that time, but I felt it didn’t fit in with the composition and the…

While enjoying a little downtime after all the hustle and bustle of the Home and Garden Show, I came across an old photo that brought up a lot of happy memories… It was long ago, and I was the young mother of a precious little girl, Brittany. It was early 1990, but as you can see, I still had my big 80’s hair going strong, not to mention my very fashionable 80’s sweater coat! I had just had my first big commercial success with “Meet Me Under Kaufmann’s Clock,” and I was getting ready to paint the second pastel in…

As I write to you on this glorious sunny afternoon, I’m filling orders from the Home and Garden Show and getting ready to paint again. I’m also reflecting on the wonderful week I’ve had since we last talked. My latest painting, “Hills Is Where the Toys Are,” was featured on Pittsburgh Today Live with Pittsburgh Dad, and the great publicity brought it lot of attention. The prints are selling like hotcakes, and people are collecting the gift items as well. The small run of Hills ornaments I ordered sold out in just two days! (Don’t worry, I will order more!)…

All I did was say, in last week’s blog, that robins are overrated as a sign of spring and look what happened! I’m sorry! Talk about your Angry Birds… those robins can’t take a joke! I hope they’ll accept my apology and take back this winter weather! Regardless of the wind and snow outside, it’s warm and cozy and springlike here at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show. I’m having a tremendous week here since the show opened last Friday. Can I share a little of it with you? Weekday crowds at the Home and Garden Show can be a…

We Pittsburghers don’t need a robin to tell us that Spring is coming – we know that the real first day of Spring here in the Burgh is Opening Day of the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show! Wow! Can it really have been a year since the last “Final Countdown” to Opening Day? Once again, I’m honored and delighted to be here with some of the nicest and most talented artists in Pittsburgh. I feel very blessed to have their friendship. Though the Home and Garden Show is a highlight of my year, organizing, transporting, and setting up my booth…

Welcome to my busiest week of the entire year! Last week I announced the completion of my latest painting, “Hills Is Where The Toys Are,” and I even showed you a visual timeline of how I created it. The photo above shows the very first print as it rolled off the press a few days ago before it was trimmed and signed – very exciting! With just under two weeks until Opening Day of the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show, I didn’t have a moment to spare! Once I had the finished prints in hand, I headed straight for Pittsburgh…

What a week this has been! I was submerged in The Painting Zone and didn’t surface until today. Last night – very, very late last night! – I finished my new painting, “Hills Is Where the Toys Are.” The painting got started with a seed that was planted last year at the Home and Garden Show (see what I did there?). When I found out that Pittsburgh Dad would also be appearing at the show, I knew I had to find a way to meet him! When I caught sight of Dad and his producer, Chris Preksta, in the Great…

This week I’m working on what I call the “excitement” in my new painting – filling in the tiny details of the Hills Christmas shoppers as they come and go. One by one, I’m working my way through the crowd, finishing each of the figures. Just three people are left to paint… including Pittsburgh Dad! The poor guy is overloaded with bags full of toys and struggling to carry them all. If all goes well, I’ll finish this weekend… wish me luck! I’ve also been working on new giftware that will debut at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show. I…