Seneca Chief leaves Buffalo

Sunflowers of Sanborn 2025

Love painting here every year. So windy and black clouds that the field was closed by noon. 

Sunflower Vanitas oil 11x14" c. 

Prize!

I entered this in a Buffalo Niagara Art Association exhibition at the Buffalo Erie Botanical Gardens. Quite pleased to be awarded, but then it sold to be brought to Ireland as a gift. I am honored but I don't know who purchased it. Selling from a gallery is different than a face to face purchase in my studio or when I am at a show.

RTPI Jamestown

Butterfly Garden at RTPI 12x16 oil

This painting remains at the institute for a 3 month exhibition this winter. So nice to sit on a comfortable bench on a sunny afternoon and paint flowers. 

Panama Rocks sketch

Urban painting at Darwin Martin house

About 20 painters showed up! I drew the pergola from the west side, one of the urban artist made it into my drawing. 

Something different

It was quite hot this summer so I spent some days in my NACC studio playing with a plan I had for years. It's watercolor with pen, marker and pencil. Took a while as it filled the table when I worked. My inspiration was the rocks and water of the American Falls 

'Gravity and Talus" mixed media 22x28

Jamestown painting

Allen Park Pond

Butterfly garden at RTPI

English Street, Jamestown NY

Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown held a plein air event in September. I met new artist friends and several I had already painted with. Perfect weather, perfect getaway.

Route 5 near Tifft

The boats kept moving but this massive grain elevator has sturdy concrete walls. I've been at this site to paint many times over the past two decades and every painting had different weather and light and foreground.

Gallagher Bay. 12x16 oil

A Swim Painting

Using a long lost and faded dot matrix print as a reference I painted my son catching his breath in the pool. His swim achievements were many and hard won through High School. He started swimming in First grade with White Water Swim Club and stayed with them through High School, also swimming with the HS team.  

🏆 we have no idea where the reference B&W picture was taken but it may be from a newspaper article. 

After the Race 16x7 oil

Twin Cities in the morning

I worked on this table, near the water's edge to capture the bridge that joins two counties and two towns over the original Erie Canal. Springtime, and midweek, there were few boaters and the park was quiet. A week later there were boats at every inch of dock space, tents and food vendors and live music. Summer is alive and hopping here on Tonawanda Creek. Two figures are on the bridge, studying the water.

Checking the Old Erie Canal, oil, c.2025

Rogue Tulips

Mother's Day tulips continue to bring joy and color to our home and they continued to open as I painted.

Rogue Tulips 9x12 oil 

This Turtle Needs Attention

OLV is hard to see. And rain.

Sketching the Our Lady of Victory Basilica from my car as clouds threaten. It poured soon but I was able to park closer to see through the raindrops, it's an amazing building inside and out  

Rain, Rain, Go Away. 10x10 oil

Capturing the original Erie Canal

Down to river level

Winner of my NACC fundraising donation

From the NACC:
Congratulations to Nicole Savage on winning the NACC Raffle for Kath Schifano's "Mounds of Mists!" We are deeply thankful to supporters like Nicole and Creative Residents like Kath who support the NACC in so many ways.

Artwork: Kath Schifano, "Mounds of Mists," matted and framed pastel drawing, 32 x 20 inches.

Winter in the studio.

A big pastel, waiting for the title, is finally finished. Framed , labeled and ready for exhibition. The art is 22x30 but it's matted in trwhite and framed to 29x37. These green apples are other 

UPDATE! An award


The Worldwide International Paintout painting from early September was entered to the Buffalo Niagara Art Association Fall exhibit. I was away for the October reception and am very pleased that the judge chose this painting for a Merit award.

An amazing view each morning.

Larger than my other paintings made in Italy, this was my view every morning at breakfast. The Tuscan hills changed by the light of the moment and many mornings were just invisible as the fog and mist crawled right up to the porch, and rolled back as the sun burned through. 

Wouldn't it be a nice poster for a show of art from Italy? 

Afternoon in the Valley 17x21 oil on linen c. 2024

Perhaps my favorite

The beautiful groomed grounds of the Tuscany estate include classical statuary and pottery, artfully placed. There are are scented gardens, acres of organic vegetables, flower gardens and just beautiful private areas to sit and enjoy nature.

I passed this fellow daily and he needed to be celebrated with paint. The lush and plentiful blue green bushes on the path are lavender, they line every walk, discouraging bugs and keeping the organic grounds gloriously scented. 

Sometimes the paths are also lined with Rosemary which also discourages unwanted flying critters. 

 

What are You Looking At? 12x16 oil on linen c. 2024

Additions to the Relais collections

These two stayed in Italy in the collection of Relais Borgo Santo Pietro. The painting is Casa Linda, one of the residence villas, the grand piano drawing is one place my art was displayed, note the tripod! 

Other art work went to new homes in various locations, from china to Azerbaijan to California. Meeting visitors from Saudi Arabia, Australia, Germany, England was a bonus during my residency, and English was a universal language. Good thing as my Italian is rudimentary and my French is too. 

My month was financed by Borgo Santa Pietro, including an apartment and meals, studio space and supplies. I brought my own prepared linen and brushes because I'm partial to the smooth surface I can create with an oil ground. But the estate also provides a driver to Siena to purchase any supplies the artist and Artist House requires.
Guests can choose to take a 'class' which was a nice distraction for me. I enjoy meeting people from all over the world and the classes were infrequent.
I left these two paintings in "payment" and thanks to my generous hosts.

Artista in residence

That's me, the Artista, at my studio and a view of the inside with some of the October paintings.

4 more pen drawings from Italy

Just outside Borgo Santo Pietro is a tiny town of Palazzetto, with one little bar/deli/coffeeshop. Apparently the pizza is very good but I just wanted coffee and some time to watch the traffic which was a few cars and a bicycle.
The next three pictures are back inside Borgo. I am so fortunate to have had this experience, a month to paint with no other responsibilities. I never tired of drawing and painting a month in Italy, surrounded by the Tuscan hills and friendly people.

Views from the Borgo Santo Pietro artists studio

Heaven. When you don't have to go anywhere to find something inspiring. There's a covered canopy and couches outside the studio and next to the lily pond lake. Creating these urban sketches are a nice distraction between painting times. Sometimes you have to put the paintbrush down and just draw. They are about 6"x8", drawn with archival ink and colors are watercolor.