Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators

Susan Castriota partners her years of expertise in architecture, fashion and graphic design to create detailed depictions of city skylines, historic buildings, pet portraits and six award winning children’s books featuring her adopted dog, Wilson. She earned her degree from the Art Institutes of Pittsburgh and Florence, Italy. While living in Italy, she studied art history and architecture as part of her curriculum. Castriota also took business classes at the University of Pittsburgh and was nominated as the top entrepreneur in Western Pennsylvania’s InnovateHER 2016 Business Plan Competition.

Her artistic endeavors were many and varied. In 1984, she launched a successful greeting card and design business, selling her Christmas card and ornament designs to major Department stores. While working with

Marshall Field’s Department Store in Chicago, Castriota worked with

Farley Candy Company on package designs and branding. In the 1990s, Castriota developed and marketed the first national catalog of women’s golf gifts. Many of the items available in the golf catalog were designed by Castriota, who traveled the world looking for unique manufacturers to produce her designs. After many successful years, The Castriota Collection was sold to a mail order company based out of Colorado.  

Castriota’s award-winning architectural illustrations of cityscapes, courthouses and historical sites attracted commissions from U.S. Senators, Congressmen and major corporations, including the H.J. Heinz Co., Federated Investors, PNC Bank and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Washington National Cathedral (Washington, DC) granted Castriota permission to paint its likeness, a rare privilege granted to few artists. She also received permission from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to illustrate its historic landmark, “Falling Water” in Farmington, PA.  

In 2008, Castriota was nominated to design an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree. She attended a dinner reception at the White House, hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, to view the ornament on display in the Blue Room.  Castriota, considered a historian on the dogs of the White House, wrote and illustrated the award winning “Wilson and the White House Pups” children’s book. She did extensive research, and the book was edited by the White House Historical Association to ensure its historical accuracy. Susan and her dog Wilson were frequent quest at book signings at the White House gift store and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

In 2016, Castriota parlayed her understanding of the product design process and invented a line of glass microwave cookware and accessories. She holds six US design patents and has vast knowledge of chemical properties of plastic and glass used for cookware, product development, material sourcing, production and logistics. The Cuchina Safe, LLC brand of products were sold on QVC, HSN and Amazon, where Castriota made appearances as the brand ambassador. She developed the online cookbook “Quick ‘N Delish by Susan” and hosted and produced a cooking show on a local cable station. She sold the Cuchina Safe cookware business in 2022. 

In the past 15 years, Castriota has made appearances on many TV shows including Fox Business NYC, Fox & Friends, KDKA, WTAE, Yahoo, The Doctors Show, Dr. Oz Show, NBC Business, Amazon Live, Good Morning America and many national Radio shows, including MPR and Radio Disney.  

You can see some of Castriota’s work on Instagram @castriotasusan , www.castriotadesigns.com .