I have been knee-deep in researching my upcoming Gimbels painting for this year. The painting will show the Gimbels building as it was back in the 1950s-1960s, and just about everyone I’ve heard from has voted for a setting of twilight during the Holiday season. I’m already working on the first sketch, and I have to say I’m very excited about it! I was lucky enough to find a 44-minute documentary that must have been used for orientation for new Gimbels employees. Not only was I fascinated by the narrator’s classic 1940s mid-Atlantic accent, I can tell you this: If…

I have so much to share with you this week! (Warning: I may get a little long-winded today!) First up, I want to thank all of you who have contributed pictures and information for my Gimbels project. Please keep it coming! It seems the consensus among my loyal customers is that you would like to see the painting set at dusk during the holidays. I suppose that makes sense, as my Kaufmann’s and Horne’s paintings were also set in that time and season. If I can pull this off, it will make a lovely addition to your Pittsburgh (or any!)…

What a week it has been! Though we were all over the place last week, we still had time for some holiday fun at home, dyeing eggs with our little granddaughters. They’re growing up so fast, always curious, and always in motion. They keep us moving, too! We can always count on them to make us laugh. Sometimes they keep us so busy that we end up with sore muscles, especially the ones around our mouths and eyes with all that smiling and squinting! We feel very blessed that they live nearby so we can be very involved in their…

Spring may be busting out all over (especially in my garden), but I’m already thinking about Christmas! You see, I spent most of first quarter 2023 working on a private commission. But thanks to our spontaneous trip to London and Paris, the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show, and out-of-town guests, I have yet to put the finishing touches on this double portrait of two lovely children in their grandparents’ home, enjoying the family’s model trains.  I was thrilled tonight when I called my client to ask if I could share this painting with you, and he said “Yes!” Early in…

Well, I finally did it! I have officially set up my store in my Home Studio. I’ve created a display of all my fun gift items and my prints around a well-lit area right next to my painting space. So now when you stop by, you can shop and also see the latest project I’m working on. Visits will still need to be scheduled in advance to make sure you don’t arrive to an empty studio if I’m out gardening, shopping, or at a show. To make an appointment, just call me at 888-748-8278 (it rings through to my cell phone). A visit…

Can you believe it’s already the final weekend of the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show? It’s what we vendors often call “Marathon Weekend.” The show is open tonight until 9 pm, Saturday 10-9, and Sunday 10-6. Then it’s time to break it all down again! I would love to see you this weekend at Booth #3146 (at the front end of the 3100 aisle). This year’s show has been a real treat for me. My new mugs have been a major hit! And my ideas for what I’m going to paint this year are definitely coming together. The plan is to return to…

Each and every painting I have at this year’s Home and Garden Show tells a story. And there’s also the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Both are true, whether it’s a picture of a memory of growing up in Pittsburgh or perhaps a place you visited on vacation. I’m bringing a number of my original paintings to the Home and Garden Show this year – about 20 soft pastel paintings with rich, radiant colors and a depth that can only be appreciated when seeing an original in person. We realized today that we needed more paintings,…

In less than one week I will be loading up my U-Haul truck for the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show at the David L Lawrence Convention Center. I still can’t believe this will be my 27th year at the show. And you would think after 27 years that I wouldn’t forget how long it actually takes me to prepare for it. If you were a butterfly on my wall, you would see a flurry of activity all day and all night! I’ll also have some of my original pastel paintings for sale at my booth this time around. I always feel a bit…

It’s full-on Home and Garden Show preparation time, and my living room and dining room are starting to look like a warehouse! We’re as busy as Santa’s elves in December, getting prints and giftware ready for the show. And like Santa himself, I’m making a list and checking it twice to make sure this show is epic! Last week I asked if you had any guesses about what kind of new art gift I was creating for the show. I’ll have nearly 150 of them at the show for purchase. I hinted that it will show three classic pieces of mine, and…

The Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show is just over three weeks away, and things are already getting intense! I’m super excited that I’ve been invited to do an interview with KDKA’s Pittsburgh Today Live that will air on the first day of the show, March 3rd! At this point, I’m one of the longest running exhibitors at the show as I celebrate my 27th year as an exhibitor. Just like last year, I’ll be in the same spot (Booth 3146/8) at the beginning of Artists’ Row. I’ll even be displaying some of my original paintings this year for the first time in over a decade.…