This week, I’m writing to you from upstate New York as I begin my three-week working vacation. I call it a working vacation because I’m doing a lot more work than I am relaxing! Let me take you back… way back… back 34 years to when I was a 23-year-old newlywed. In a leap of faith, I took a solo trip (leaving my new husband behind!) to North Salem, New York, to study with a legendary portrait artist I’d read about in American Artist Magazine. Daniel Greene was known internationally for his work, and his list of accomplishments even back…

After the announcement last week of the closing of Macy’s downtown store, I felt like I had to blog about that sad news and what it meant to me, so I postponed my original topic. This week, I’d like to share with you about the wonderful event I had at Kane Glen Hazel last Wednesday. “A Stroll Down Pittsburgh’s Memory Lane” was a glorious day spent with Kane residents, staff, and visitors. Other attendees were a group from the Alzheimer’s Association and some of the staff from KDKA. I was honored to see that Ron Cook from KDKA had decided…

This week, my blog was supposed to be about my amazing event Wednesday morning at Kane Glen Hazel, but when it was announced that the Downtown Macy’s (formerly Kaufmann’s) was closing forever, I knew there had to be a change in plans. When Macy’s announced this week that they were selling the building and closing their Downtown store, I’m sure that, like me, you were saddened at the loss of a lifetime of traditions. For me, it was always about the “Big Three,” Gimbels and Horne’s, but especially Kaufmann’s/Macy’s. Nothing compares to those holiday window displays along Fifth, Forbes, and…

Today I have a special invitation for you! On Wednesday, July 15th, the Kane Glen Hazel facility on Rivermont Drive will be hosting an exhibition of my paintings that is free and open to the public. Over the last year, I’ve partnered with Kane to create oversized versions of 20 of my paintings for the residence halls at the facility. The idea is for the residents to “walk down Memory Lane” and share their stories with everyone they meet. I am honored to have an opening there from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to share my own stories about the…

I have so much to share with you this week! I told you last week about our terrible experience with the storm at the Three Rivers Arts Festival. With the damage done to my tent and my art (not to mention done to ourselves!), I wondered if I would ever do an outdoor show again. But you know what they say… when you fall off the horse, the best thing you can do is climb back on and keep riding! That being said, I have a brand new tent that I’ll be setting up for the first time this weekend…