Sunday dinners at Karen Ferrick's grandmother's home decades ago formed more than family bonds.

The relaxing time with family members helped Ferrick, 54, of Plum, develop a love of drawing and later painting.

"As a youngster, I would draw the faces on magazine covers at my grandmother's house," Ferrick said.

After years of developing her craft, Ferrick recently had her first one-woman show of 35 of her pastel paintings at the Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space.

The exhibit, "People, Places, Pretty Things," included portraits, landscapes and still-life paintings. Several of the landscapes in the show were created outdoors in the French plein-air style named after impressionist painters who took their easels outdoors to work, Ferrick said.

"It was an exciting exhibit," said Mark Hudson, head of adult services at the Monroeville Public Library. "Many people came in (to the library) and stopped in to see it."

Ferrick, who has live in Plum since 1976 after growing up in McMurray, Washington County, said the drawings she did at her grandmother's house eventually led to her taking art classes in junior high school.

She graduated from Peters Township High School in 1972. Ferrick said she developed her talent through high school and received an award for her art during her senior year.

"I got validated," Ferrick said.

After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1976, Ferrick, who describes her career as "convoluted" couldn't find a teaching position.

So she first worked as an interior designer at Ethan Allen in Monroeville.

"I used my art background to help clients," Ferrick said.

Ferrick next taught art at Catholic schools in the area including St. John the Baptist in Plum, North American Martyrs in Monroeville and St. Joseph High School in Natrona Heights.

Eleven years ago, Ferrick began teaching art at Burrell High School in Lower Burrell.

Even with a busy schedule as a teacher, Ferrick continues her painting and, after purchasing a pastel drawing, she decided to try the art form and fell in love with it

"I like that medium," Ferrick said. "I have concentrated on it for four to five years exclusively."

Ferrick is a member of the Pittsburgh Pastel Art League, the Pittsburgh Society of Artists and other art groups.

During one of the final evenings of her exhibit last month at the Monroeville Community Library,

Ferrick shared the stories behind several of her works and demonstrated the techniques of pastel painting --from the first drawing, through the underpainting and the layering of the pastels to create a finished painting.

"The gallery space (in Monroeville) was one of the nicest venues around," Ferrick said.

Ferrick also is the feature artist this month in the Penn Hills municipal building council chambers with an exhibit of her landscape paintings.

She is constantly working on her craft. Just last weekend, Ferrick joined other artists in Ligonier to do plein-air landscape painting. And she works from her home studio as well

"I like to be surrounded by my work," Ferrick said.

Ferrick also has an eye for what will make an interesting painting.

"My husband (Paul) will tell you no matter where we go I have a camera, and he will pull off the side of the road and I will take a picture (to develop into a painting)," Ferrick said. "It is an instant thing. I do whatever strikes me at the moment."

Ferrick does most of her painting outside during the summer and has plans to delve into another medium.

"I have a friend who paints in oils," Ferrick said. "I may try that next."