Yes, I know it’s the middle of summer, but celebrating Christmas in July gives us a head start on the holidays… and it may even help us forget about the heat! Despite this ongoing heat wave, it sure seemed a lot like the holidays were close at hand at our big celebration last Saturday with Santa at Wendell August Forge. What a day! It was full of activity and festive fun as we launched the beautiful new aluminum ornaments for my “Jolly Old Elf series”. Santa and I signed so many pieces, our hands were worn out! So many ornaments…

What a week I’ve had! And it looks like next week will be pretty crazy, too… Last week I was telling you about my newest painting, “Porsche Fields Forever,” and how it was progressing. I wasn’t kidding when I said I would be taking it down to the wire! In fact, I was working on that painting right up to midnight, just hours before it was going to be unveiled at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. First thing in the morning, I dashed over to the framer, who was kind enough to open up an hour early on Saturday morning…

Today I’m going to do something unexpected… I’m going to share my latest painting with you – even though it’s not quite finished yet! The painting is entitled “Porsche Fields Forever,” and it celebrates a great Pittsburgh tradition – The 34th Annual Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. The project started over a year ago in the midst of early spring. I had the pleasure of working with a very special client, Jay, and as we stood on the field overlooking Oakland and the city, he did a great job of painting with words what the scene would look like filled with…

A lot of people have asked me which one of all my paintings is my favorite. There are quite a few that I would call favorites, but Number One is definitely “Coasting Through Kennywood.” The original painting is part of my private collection, and I will never part with it because it holds so many personal memories for me. I’ve sold many of my originals over the years, but Tom and I agreed that this one would stay with us forever. Why is this particular painting so meaningful to me? Well, there are a number of reasons… First of all,…

For the first time in 20 years, I will not be working on the Fourth of July! That’s right! Instead of spending the holiday at an art show, I’ve decided to celebrate at home with my family this year. I’ll miss the fun of meeting people, the fireworks, and the festive energy. But I’ll still enjoy reminiscing about 18 years’ worth of Fourth of July weekends spent at Kennywood Park’s annual festivals. One of my favorite Kennywood memories involves the Grand Carousel and the man who so proudly represented it. “Ride with me on the Carousel” was the first in…