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This appears to be Araneus marmoreus, an orb weaving spider (family Araneidae) known as the marbled orb weaver - see http://tinyurl.com/lnsaqv for images. This species is highly variable in appearance. All orb weavers are harmless to humans.
Yeah, that's probably what it is. One of the pages I found said that their patterns sometimes look like faces, and this one's certainly did. The abdomen on this one is more flattened than that of the "garden spiders" (orb weavers) I am familiar with. Perhaps because she just laid eggs?
Initially, I thought that maybe the bright color meant it was poisonous, as it does in some tropical species. Then I read that widows and the recluse are the only poisonous spiders anywhere near here. And like you say, orb weavers are harmless.
