In order for me to pull this off, every moment in time would have to be utilized to the fullest. I would first need to secure two of the correct sized canvases and make sure I had the right paint and supplies.  I would then have to meet the client, tour the facility grounds, select several compositions which the clients could choose from, draw up a proposal and negotiate a price. Once all was agreed upon and I received the deposit, I would need to set up my easel and spend a few hours painting each of the chosen scenes en plein air, so the weather had to cooperate (I would then finish the pieces in my studio). I would have to select exquisite, museum quality frames and make sure my framer had them in stock and could fabricate them in time.

That’s a LOT to have to navigate and go perfectly right in a very small amount of time!

Above all else, the paintings would have to be AMAZING so I had to be in good form, paint fast, be confident and fueled with really good energy. The quality had to be superb. There is no way I had any time for mistakes, nor could I deliver sub-par work.

I figured if all went perfectly, the prep work would take two days. So that would leave me with FIFTEEN DAYS to paint, frame and deliver the paintings.

I ask you this: Would anyone in their right mind take this project on? Most definitely not. There was zero room for error, and the pressure was over the top. But for some reason I decided to take an enormous risk and go for it.

I felt it would be good for my career to have my work permanently hanging in this beautiful, prestigious space, but I also was curious to see if I could push myself to literally do the impossible. And financially, the price was right, too. So we agreed on the proposal and the race was on.

We selected a view of a meadow and ginkgo trees located at the campus’s entrance which I decided to depict in morning light. I spent 100 hours on this painting in seven days. It is layered and layered with intricate brushwork. The second scene is of a reservoir adjacent to the campus which I decided to paint as a twilight scene.

Aside from a couple technical mishaps, very little sleep and several major meltdowns, I ended up getting the meadow painting totally complete, and the reservoir one about 75% complete but done enough to put in the frame and hang for their gala event. I brought that one back to the studio after the event and finished it, then delivered it a week later.

The client was a dream to work with the entire way. I texted them updates with progress on the paintings so there would be no surprises (something I do for all of my commissions). They absolutely loved the paintings and even reached out as they would like to make prints of them to sell on their website AND they would like more custom pieces. In addition to forming a great relationship with a fantastic new client, I also am now connected with the fabulous interior designer.

My framers really had my back on this project, they literally dropped everything to make sure my deadline was met and the quality of the framing was superior. Though I mostly frame my own work, in this instance it would not have been possible and I am truly grateful for their help.

My husband was a rock star- bringing food to the studio and supplying endless encouragement. My social media followers also helped by cheering me on.

Though very difficult, in the end the experience was a win-win, smashing success.

Absolutely. I am an oil painter from West Chester, PA. Upon graduation from Westtown Friends School in 1988, instead of attending a traditional art university, I immersed myself within the art community of Chadds Ford, PA, the home of the Brandywine painting tradition.

A friendship with local painter and Wyeth model Jimmy Lynch is what inspired me to pursue art as a career. Plein air painting in the surrounding fields with Lynch led to visits and artistic guidance at Andrew Wyeth’s studio and home. The Brandywine River Museum exhibited my work in 1989 after I collaborated with Lynch on a series of pen and ink drawings.

For thirty years, I have shown and sold my work extensively in the Brandywine Valley PA region. I am known for my serene twilight and nocturne landscapes and more recently my energetic plein air work. I paint in oil on Belgian linen and birch panels.

I utilize the nature preserves, fields and farms of the Brandywine Valley to hike, sketch, paint and photograph.

I have a studio and gallery in downtown West Chester, PA. American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt once lived in my building (prior to her attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1860).

In 2013, I lost central and peripheral vision in one eye (as well as depth perception) even though multiple major eye surgeries attempted to save the sight. What was at first a tragedy, I now view as a pivotal experience. I am grateful for the remaining sight I have and curiously, I feel my work is stronger than ever.

I particularly enjoy playing the principal role in my art business, client relations, sales and marketing. To date I have sold over 900 paintings to national collectors with the majority of sales through my own studio/gallery, social media and website.

I have coached many artists on my business principles and am currently writing a book on the many ways artists can increase their sales.

Losing a significant portion of vision in my right eye has tested my resilience on every possible level.

In 2013, I suddenly developed a macular hole, which went quickly downhill and required major surgery. The outcome did not go as planned and my retina detatched. Then, more things went wrong after two more intensive surgeries.

The recoveries from the surgeries were awful. I had to lie very still in a specific position for many days and weeks so that my retina would heal properly.

My eyesight today is permanently damaged, an artist’s worst nightmare to say the least. With every surgery, I had to adjust to a new visual outcome. For a couple years I was terribly depressed and stopped painting.

I gradually pulled myself out of my funk and started painting plein air. Plein air has helped me to re-train my brain, increase confidence and also to heal emotionally.

Even today I require a lot of continuous care, eyedrops and eye injections to manage my condition.

Great challenges such as this will either break us down or force us to become resilient. Often we have to fall apart first which is completely gutting, but is a natural and necessary part of the process of becoming stronger.

I deeply respect anyone who goes through enormous challenges and doesn’t give up.

The thing that people are most surprised by is when I describe being an artist as merely running a small business. I have all the stresses/goals/tasks that any business owner has: taxes, income, expenses, inventory, sales, marketing, supplies, shipping, customer service, quality control, etc.

People say to me all the time, “Oh you’re a painter, that must be so fun and relaxing!” Most of the time it’s really not, it is extremely hard work! Rewarding, but tough like any business. People often are astonished I have a schedule, deadlines, stress or any other kinds of struggles.

Don’t get me wrong, I derive much satisfaction from painting. But being “creative” is who I am, it’s second nature so I don’t think about it too much. I just do what I do. I simply think of the paintings and then I paint and sell them.