Author: Nicole Smeltzer

Love (of art) is in the air! I have two paintings on exhibit this month in two heart-themed shows:

Creative York‘s annual silent art auction Art with Heart opens on Thursday, February 12 at 10am and closes on Sunday, February 22 at 7pm. Mark your calendars and get your bids in! My piece Black Moth and Ranunculus opens at just $150. An opening reception will take place this Valentine’s Day, February 14 from 1-3pm at Creative York.

This annual fundraiser benefits disadvantaged youths and provides scholarships for all ages. View the exhibit online or in person and keep those bids coming. Thank you for supporting York’s art community!

HIVE artspace‘s Heart(sic) exhibit opened on February 6 and runs through February 27. My piece, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and Scarlet Bee Balm, is a watercolor painting done on Arches cold press 140 paper, then mounted to a heart-shaped wood panel and sealed with cold wax to protect it from damage caused by dust and moisture. It is ready to hang and can be displayed as-is, without the need for glass. The piece is approximately 12″x12″. See the entire exhibit and purchase online or in person.

A small number of giclee art prints are available at HIVE as well! They are printed on archival Hahnemuhl rag paper and are 8″x8″.

I also have two paintings currently available at the Artful Nest in downtown Marietta, PA. Only available in person, but this small shop is packed with good things and always worth the visit! Both paintings are 16″x16″

Look what arrived in the mail!

Back in the spring of 2025, Sow True Seed put out an open call to artists to design seed packets for their 2026 seed catalog. I was lucky enough to be selected and was assigned the Northeast Native seed packet. This was perfect for me, given my large wildflower garden! Painting this was second nature since this packet contains many of my favorites—new england asters, brown-eyed susans, coreopsis, and more!

I added goldfinches to my design, since my wildflower garden attracts many goldfinches all year long. Even now in January, I can see them perching on the dormant stalks, pecking at the seed heads for winter sustenance.

Here is the full painting I made for the packet:

watercolor on paper

16″x16″

I also made this available as a free downloadable wallpaper for phones. And the original painting will be available for purchase this spring.

If you’d like to buy this seed packet, it’s available for order online through the Sow True Seed website.

Thank you again to Sow True Seed. It was a pleasure working with you on this design!