Have you ever looked at an artwork and wondered how it was made? Art is usually exhibited only as a finished product, but a novel show at Concept Art Gallery also includes some of the steps that go into its creation.

"Process: How Art Gets Made" features seven local and national artists working in a variety of media. Partially completed as well as finished works, and commentary by each artist, illustrate the behind-the-scenes thinking and technical mastery that go into an accomplished artwork.

The exhibition begins along the wide stairway to the second floor gallery with California printmaker Gordon Mortensen who works in the exacting medium of reduction woodcut.

Mr. Mortensen works out color relationships in watercolor studies before beginning the time intensive process. While traditional woodcut uses a different block for each color, reduction refers to the removal, by cutting, of areas of the base design with each inking and printing. Because he uses up to 64 colors in a print, his vibrant landscapes have exceptional depth and painterly quality.

A very different medium, glass, is employed by West Coast master Richard Marquis. After attending the University of California at Berkeley, he traveled to the Italian island of Murano to study traditional techniques with artisans who had glass in their blood lines.

Mr. Marquis' seemingly irreverent approach to the medium results in whimsical works that in actuality reflect his passion and individuality. Samples show the components of murrine, millefiori and zanfirico technique that the artist applies with the American exuberance that made him an early studio glass movement leader.

Charles Biddle does sleight of hand with colored pencil. He has devoted his career to preserving on paper American mid-20th-century commercial signage, particularly neon, that is rapidly disappearing.

Mr. Biddle first photographs a chosen sign, preferably at twilight. The Pet-O-Mine exhibited was found during a road trip in Omaha, but many of his subjects are local. A working photograph, used as a reference in the studio, is shown next to a palette of the pencil colors used to make his drawing.

The drawings, which require countless hours and pencils, are startlingly lifelike, and amaze to the degree that they capture the glowing quality of the neon tubes and fading atmospheric light. But they are not photorealistic as Mr. Biddle prefers to keep the hand of the artist in the work by allowing pencil strokes to show, adding a tactile component. And they are not copies, as a close examination of the angles of building and sign in the exhibited work will reveal.

More recently, Mr. Biddle has produced his images as Digital C-prints on paper similar to that used for his drawings, giving them rich color and texture. (See a video of him talking about his work at www.post-gazette.com.)

Sculptor Kevin O'Toole uncovers the intrinsic souls of trees, transforming kiln-dried boards into quiet sculptural works with regal presence.

A drawing, a glued laminated wooden form, and pieces that have begun to be shaped and carved illustrate the progression of a work from concept to finish. A video of Mr. O'Toole in his studio shows him applying silver leaf, a material that could be ostentatious but, as with other surface treatments he employs, it is worn comfortably, formally completing the work while vesting it with a preciousness due its rank.

The intricate surface patterning of ceramist Edward Eberle's handsome porcelain forms have gained him a national reputation, and his technical proficiency shines in each piece.

What is surprising is how much chance remains in the process. Next to a finished porcelain work are two unfired clay cylinders that would have been combined to make a similarly sized piece, showing the shrinking that occurs during firing. The vagueness of the brushed figures illustrate how much Mr. Eberle must entrust the kiln to correctly complete his vision.

Michael Morrill's distinguished abstract paintings have a depth of surface and complexity that draws the viewer in. While they exist as independent elements open to a range of appreciation and interpretation, Mr. Morrill offers insight to one of his inspirations by including two black and white photographs of light entering through window blind slats.

Finally, Douglas Cooper, known for commanding murals that are a dizzying melange of Pittsburgh past and present, treats visitors to a preview of a new direction, animation.

Along with studies and sketches that hint at the involved process and its evolution, is a brief glimpse into the initial work in progress. "The story of a [South Side!] witch who intervenes in a high school football game in an effort to help her nephew," is already funny, fanciful, engaging, very Pittsburgh and ultimately charming.

"Process" continues through the month at 1031 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays, and until 8 p.m. Thursdays. Admission is free. For information, call 412-242-9200 or visit www.conceptgallery.com.

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