This weekend we will be saying goodbye to our beautiful Christmas tree, though I wish we could keep it forever!  This tree was our first Douglas fir, and it looks just as peppy as it did when we put it up… actually, maybe even better. Every morning I turn the lights on, and every night at some point I sit for a while in our living room and just gaze at its beauty. We decorated our tree with Tom’s boyhood ornaments, giving it a very traditional, old-fashioned look and reminding us of happy holidays long ago. The fir tree’s evergreen…

The weather forecast is for seasonal temperatures and sunny skies this weekend, so I hope you have plans to get outdoors! Tom and I are excited – we’re leaving today for our anniversary weekend trip to Geneva-on-the-Lake – but I’m still sad about missing out on Fort Ligonier Days this year (canceled due to the pandemic).  So while we’ll have fun celebrating our 40th anniversary, I’m still a bit disappointed, as this would have been our 10th year at Fort Ligonier Days. Ligonier has always been one of my very favorite places in Western Pennsylvania, and I had always dreamed of painting…

When I first started painting the nostalgic landmarks of Pittsburgh, I created prints of each of those original paintings. It’s always gratifying when customers discover my early works, but did you know that many of those prints are also available in a different, very affordable format? Somewhere along the line, I got the idea to make some of my prints into notecards.  They may be small in size, but they still serve as gentle reminders of days gone by.  From views overlooking the Golden Triangle from Mt. Washington to scenes of our city neighborhoods… Kaufmann’s and Horne’s, the old department…

Ever wonder where magnets come from?  Legend has it that they were first discovered about 4000 years ago in Magnesia in ancient Greece when a shepherd happened to step onto a rock, and the iron nails in his sandals got stuck there. Magnets have been around for thousands of years and used in many ways, in everything from false eyelashes to watches, from medical devices to entertainment (magicians in Ancient Egypt used them to create the illusion of objects floating in mid-air).  Personally, my favorite way to use magnets is to create “Kitchen Art!” Magnets are my thing. I have…

For some reason, my painting “Riding Kennywood’s Auto Race and Train” has been on my mind this week… perhaps because it reminds me of some of my favorite Kennywood memories. One feature of the painting is a part of the park that’s very special to me, and it’s not even a ride! Each spring, I eagerly look forward to seeing the flower clock – with all the rides and people and noise, it just feels like a breath of freshness. I suppose it’s the gardener in me. I love the flowers and how each year they design the clock differently.…

After 31 years of painting Pittsburgh, a lot of people ask me which one of the paintings is my favorite. I always answer that it’s a no-brainer – “Coasting Through Kennywood” is the hands-down winner because I filled it with so many happy memories, secret messages, and beloved family and friends. It seems like just yesterday, on my very first visit to Pittsburgh (and to Kennywood) in 1977, when a much-younger Tom and I stood on the bridge overlooking the lagoon, watching people paddling around in the old aluminum boats. (Does anyone else still remember the aluminum dust that would…

Thank you all who listened to my interview last week and offered insights and comments about it.  I really enjoyed all of your responses (especially your own stories) and hope you’ll share the interview with your family, friends and colleagues. Last week, I also showed you some photos of our “blank canvas” front yard.  On Tuesday, we “painted” it by planting dozens of trees, bushes and flowers.  It was a true labor of love but still really hard work – several days later, Tom and I both still have sore muscles! We also added a birdbath that was stained a…

It’s amazing how much you can accomplish, even when you’re stuck at home. Tom and I have been working all week, creating our front-yard garden.  I’ll admit, we’re pretty worn out! But it’s been a real labor of love and so fulfilling, looking forward to the beauty we will see this summer every time we look out our front door.  I had hoped to have it finished in time to show you the completed garden here, but thanks to the rain, we’re looking at finishing sometime early next week.  But that’s okay – this will give us a chance to…

Being at home 24/7 does have an upside… I now have time to garden, cook (I’m definitely improving, just ask my husband!), paint with my friend in California via Zoom, and get my stories written down.  Today’s story is about “Wishing Under the Horne’s Tree,” the last painting in my Pittsburgh Remembered series. As I’ve mentioned before, when Tom and I first started dating back in the late 1970s, ours was a long-distance romance – I lived in New Jersey and Tom was from Bethel Park.  We were only able to be together about once a month, so every minute was precious.  As we…

Here we are, another week into social distancing. It’s a good thing I have so many stories! This week I want to tell you the story behind the very first painting in my Pittsburgh Remembered series, “Meet Me Under Kaufmann’s Clock.”  It was the start of my career as a Pittsburgh artist. In 1989, the nice people of Kustom Korners Gallery in Village Square Mall allowed me to set up my tables and pastel chalks out in front of their gallery and paint portraits. Not just “quickies,” mind you, but rich, detailed portraits.  I wanted to show more than just a face – I…