Friday, November 23, 2012

Holiday Gift Ideas -- for Western PA Grads

Welcome to the second installment of "Holiday Gift Ideas."  Today, I thought I would focus on the paintings that may interest those of you who are or who have Western PA Grads.  I have created multiple pictures over the years of local collegiate institutions.
 
University of Pittsburgh
 
One of my first city of Pittsburgh paintings focused on the iconic Cathedral of Learning on Pitt's campus.  This beautiful, unique building provided great inspiration for one of my favorite paintings.  If you look closely, you will see a man in a yellow jacket without an umbrella.  This is one of my husband, Tom's, first appearances in my paintings.
 
I spent a great deal of time on this painting.  So much so that my daughter, only 4 years old at time, referred to the Cathedral as "mommy's building" every trip into Oakland.  Little did we know, that 18 years later, she would be completing her grad work at Pitt and would have a class or two in the Cathedral. 

"Walking in the Light of the Cathedral" is available on my website.
 
One of my other favorites is "The Glory of Heinz Chapel," a painting of Pitt's popular on-site chapel.  There are approximately 1500 events scheduled at the chapel every year and many Pitt grads have held their weddings at this location.  This painting is available in prints, giclees, or note card form.
 
Penn State University
 
Penn State grads are some of the most loyal, enthusiastic people when it comes to their alma mater.  When I finished my painting of Old Main, known as the "Heart of the Lion," it was immediately a best-seller. 

Tom and I spent four overnight trips taking pictures of the area.  I took pictures from every angle at every time of day trying to find the right composition.  Thankfully, I was at State College right before they took down the two Elm trees in the picture, they're a beautiful addition to the painting and allowed me to add some depth. The full moon was put in to offer some balance.

Almost everyone painted in "The Heart of the Lion" is an alum of Penn State (the only exceptions are my family and a couple friends).

This painting is still available in print, giclee, and note card form.

The Heart of the Lion

Duquesne University

Located in the heart of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University is beautiful.  The college has a rich Catholic tradition, making their Chapel a focal point of the campus.  "Chapel on the Bluff" features many Duquesne grads (along with my family, of course) and some of the University staff. 

Whenever I meet a Duquesne grad, they can always seem to pick out one particular person.  If you look at the man in the front left corner of the painting, dressed in green, that's Father Kealy, a beloved professor at the University.

Chapel on the Bluff

That concludes the latest installment of "Holiday Gift Ideas."  Please feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, or questions. 

I hope you and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
 
 

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