Howdy, it’s Linda… Here we are in the Lone Star State, enjoying this beautiful piece of our wonderful country. I envisioned rocks, dessert and cowboy boots, but instead we’re seeing densely lush rolling hills and the beautiful cities of Austin and San Antonio. We’re seeing quaint old-fashioned small towns, and we’re seeing modern cityscapes. Above all, we’re seeing outsized Texas-style welcoming hospitality. Not to mention extremely large cattle, like the one in this picture! We’re having a wonderful time this week visiting what they call the Hill Country of Texas and enjoying a perfect view of Canyon Lake. Yesterday we…

This week was Graduation Day for my first five-week pastel class! Though I’m proud of my wonderfully talented students, I’m sorry our time together had to end. It was a real privilege to work alongside such creative people! We had a lot of fun together throughout the five weeks of the series. We celebrated our final class in style, enjoying beautiful background music from the very talented Ron Bernhardy at the piano. Funny, but it seemed that everyone enjoyed painting even more with the live music, and I think they even painted faster! In my opinion, the music inspired them…

What a busy week this has been! It began with a birthday serenade with lots of people singing “Happy Birthday” to me. Their lovely voices made me smile and got my birthday week off to a wonderful start. Then while Tom attended the Pirates opener with the Bucs and thousands of his closest friends, I actually had a peaceful time painting with my pastels and reading over 200 birthday wishes throughout the day. Partly thanks to Facebook, of course! So if you’re one of my Facebook buddies who wished me a happy birthday, I thank you as well. You made…

I hope you are all well this week and had a great Easter weekend! Ours was full of life and activity this year as we celebrated by hosting the entire family for our first Easter dinner in our new home. In fact, this year for the first time, we actually had to extend our table into the living room in order for everyone to fit! Speaking of a full house… my storeroom is full to bursting with inventory! Prints of Pittsburgh, prints of amusement parks, prints of sports scenes and schools in the Pittsburgh area. But it’s not just paintings…

This week the new art collector in my life asked me how I got to where I am as an artist. How did it all start? Without hesitation, I told him it’s always been about wanting to make people happy. I always knew instinctively that painting was my gift. Once before I was married, I was painting a portrait in the living room, and my grandfather looked on and said, “You know you’re going to get married and never paint again.” I looked at him in shock and said, “You don’t understand! I will always paint, I can’t stop! It’s…

This week was the first meeting of my new pastels class. What a pleasure to have such motivated and dedicated students! The class consists of aspiring painters of all ages, and everyone showed up excited to get started. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of students… Everyone encouraged and helped each other. I felt like there was a powerful creative energy at work in the studio. There were actually moments when everyone was concentrating so hard you could hear a pin drop. We all had a wonderful time and did great things. I can’t wait until next Monday…

It’s a wrap! Tear it down, pack it up, move it out… and take a few minutes to put my feet up now that I’ve finished my 20th year at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show! Just as I’d hoped, this year’s show was even bigger, better, and brighter than last year! It was delightful to see so many new faces and to be reunited with long-time friends. A big “Thank You” to all who came by to see me! So… now that the show is over, it’s time to get back to my favorite thing of all – painting!…

We’re in the final days of the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show! If you haven’t had a chance to stop by yet, I’ll be here until the show closes at 6 p.m. Sunday. As you already know, this year has marked my 20th anniversary at the Home and Garden Show, and it’s already been a memorable one. Many of you have already taken the time to visit me at the booth to say hello, including quite a few folks I hadn’t met before. It’s not just about selling my artwork. The best thing about being here is reconnecting face-to-face with…

At last, the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show has arrived! To say that I’m excited is an understatement! And for so many reasons – maybe it’s because this is my 20th year at the show… or the fact that Spring is finally predicted to arrive and bring better weather (fingers crossed for warmer temperatures and no snow for the next 10 days). Or maybe it was seeing old friends on the loading docks and on the show floor, with many of my fellow artist friends setting up right alongside of me in “Artists’ Row.” Whatever is responsible, I’m certainly feeling…

Just before Christmas, I received a very special commission, and I’ve been working diligently on it over the last few weeks since I returned from Florida. One of my clients had asked if I would paint a portrait of his parents. My goal was to make my subjects come alive, as if they could literally step out of the canvas. I wanted to create something that my client and his family would treasure for a lifetime. To begin, I asked him for his favorite photo of them (the first thing I always request for portrait work), and he gave me…