Watercolor artist Phiris Kathryn Sickels was born in California, moved to Kansas and then her family was transferred to Pittsburgh. She studied Fine Arts at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon Univ.), CCAC, Kathleen Zimbicki’s watercolor classes for many years at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and workshops by Miles Batt, Skip Lawrence, Alex Powers, Fran Larsen, Katherine Liu, Frank Webb, and Donna Zagotta. She recently retired from a 40-year career at Koppers Inc. As an active participant in Pittsburgh arts, Phiris is a member of the Pittsburgh Society of Artists, the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society – Past President, East Suburban Artists League, the Pittsburgh Group and co-manager of the Eastside Gallery. She has participated and won awards in numerous juried, national and international exhibits.