That’s right! The Jolly Old Elf – Santa Himself – will be joining me from noon till 3 PM on Saturday, October 17th at the Courtney-Laughlin Frame Studio and Gallery at 531 Third Street in Beaver. This is a very special event… after all, it’s difficult to for Santa to get away from his duties at the North Pole this time of year! Jamie and Kathy have created a Christmas wonderland at the gallery with special holiday perks to welcome Santa and our guests, including live music and refreshments. Click Here to find out more about this event. There’s even…

Seems like I’m always on the move these days! With my super-busy Fall Schedule, if you blink, you might miss me! For now, I’m back in Nashville again, spending some time with my Mom until the weekend. I swear I’m done traveling for this year – I have so much to do in the Pittsburgh area, there won’t be time to go anywhere else. When I return in a few days, I’ll dive right into my painting projects and get revved up for a full schedule of “Meet the Artist” opportunities around Pittsburgh. You can predict my whereabouts by checking…

I hope you’re all doing well this week and ready for a great weekend! Show Season is underway, and my next stop is the Washington County Covered Bridge Festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 19th and 20th between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. My booth will be in Mingo Creek Park by the historic Ebenezer Bridge. I would love for you to come visit me under the bridge! So if you’ll just print out this blog and bring it with you to the Festival, I’ll give you what will probably be your very first Christmas Card of the Season! I’ll…

You may have noticed that my regularly scheduled newsletter is a little late this week! I got caught in a tight spot when I had a Thursday morning deadline on the Oakland Catholic High School project… then I had to hop on a plane to Nashville that afternoon to spend some time with my Mom. Which means I had to pack not only a week’s worth of clothing, but (because this is a “working vacation”) quite a few painting supplies as well. With all of that going on, there just wasn’t time to sit down at the computer and put…

What a busy week this has been! After a fun and productive weekend at the Shadyside Arts Festival, it’s time to get back to a serious painting schedule. I have so many projects to do before the end of the year! First of all, I apologize for the confusion last week. There was a small communication glitch, but now my first holiday card in the Jolly Old Elf Series, “Shhhh!” is ready and available to purchase on my website. Just Click Here to purchase yours. The cards had a great kick-off last week at the Arts Festival. They’re only available…

Welcome to the start of a new season! Not only is it Back-to-School time for the kids, but it’s already about that time that most folks (well, at least most organized folks!) start planning for fall and winter holiday excitement. It’s also the time of year that, for the past 17 years, I would print my annual holiday card to benefit the American Cancer Society. As I told you back in May, that program has come to an end. I was honored to be a part of their fundraising for all these years, and it was quite an emotional evening…

On our way home, but coming to you live from the road one more time… Tom and I had quite the adventure in Canada, Vermont, and New York as we visited Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Lake Champlain. It was delightful being back on PEI after 12 years. Back then, we were accompanied by our children. We went to see the brilliant musical “Anne of Green Gables” and then crossed the island to Cavendish to visit her home – or at least the home that Lucy Maud Montgomery created for Anne. Returning 12 years later sans daughters, we retraced…

We’re still on the road, and Tom and I are about to head over to Prince Edward Island after our lovely visit to Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is a quaint place and stunningly beautiful with its brightly painted little homes and waterways filled with fishing boats. The photos I’ve taken just don’t do it justice! We took the Cabot Trail around Cape Breton yesterday, and then a wonderful Ceilidh (Celtic music) concert last night was a perfect ending to our stay here. If you’ve ever visited Nova Scotia, you may recall seeing Peggy’s Cove. The red boat in the front…

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…