Spring has sprung for Art in Bloom Floral and Photography Show at Pittsburgh Mills mall

Spring is in full swing at the Art in Bloom Floral and Photography Show at the Focus on the Arts Gallery in the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer.

The gallery displays and sells work from the New Kensington Camera Club and the Allegheny Valley League of Artists.

Nearly 80 pieces by 24 local photographers and artists are showcased in the show, up from about 62 pieces by 20 exhibitors last year, said Joel Varga of Harmar, the camera club president.

“There’s a lot of variety and buy-in to the show, as it was very successful last year,” he said.

The photo exhibit, which runs through May 14, is free to visit.

Gallery visitors can cast a ballot for their favorite photo. They can enter a drawing to win a $25 gift card and a $15 gift card for any mall store, as well as a full movie package at the GQT movie theater in the mall. Last year, close to 600 patrons cast votes, Varga said.

Linda Roos of Springdale Township is one of the local photographers featured.

A retired administrator from Duquesne University, Roos started taking photos in her early 30s.

“Kids got in the way, and I stopped,” she said.

Ironically, later she had a son in art school who lent her a digital camera for a trip to England in 2004.

“I was hooked, and I bought a DSL camera and have been playing with photography ever since,” Roos said.

When she retired in 2015, Roos stepped up her photography.

“I was looking for someplace where I could connect with people with like interests, and here it is,” she said of the photography club and its floral show.

To learn more about the gallery and the New Kensington Camera Club, visit the Focus on the Arts Facebook page.