Melissa Vertosick doesn't need to go far to find inspiration.

She just has to walk out her back door and into her garden.

Vertosick is one of several local artists featured in this weekend's juried show at the Westmoreland Mus-eum of Art, and her sculpture that is on display was influenced by her garden.

"Since I never had a garden this large, it's something I've gotten into," she says.

That inspiration paid off. She entered two pieces to be considered for the museum's exhibit. The works of 80 local artists were chosen by William Keyse Randolph from the Dallas Museum of Art.

The Delmont resident will have a sculpture featured in this weekend's show. The piece has handmade paper come out of a copper pot.

"It's cut out in organic forms," she says, "It's almost plant like."

Vertosick also was featured in the museum's last juried show in 2006.

Though sculpture is her main form of artistic expression, Vertosick teaches painting classes at Westmoreland County Community College.

Often her sculptures begin as simple sketches.

"Generally, I'll start in a sketchbook and then make it on a larger scale," Vertosick says.

Vertosick prefers to assemble her art from pieces, rather than reduce, say, a block of marble, by chiseling away at it.

"It's easier to build," she says.

During any sculpture classes she teaches, Vertosick makes sure her students use all of the materials that are available.

"I tell them, there's no such thing as a bottom," she says.

About the exhibit

The Westmoreland Museum of American Art Juried Biennial opens on Sunday and continues through June 8.

Besides Vertosick, Murrysville artists Gloria Hersch, Daniel Bolick and Alison Newman also will be featured.

The museum is at 221 N. Main St. in Greensburg. The exhibit is free with an admission donation. For more information, see www.wmuseumaa.org.