No snow yet, but it’s definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Market Square – especially at the fabulous Linda Barnicott Double-Wide Chalet! My first special visitor this week was Santa himself, who took a break from his busy seasonal schedule to stop by, admire his paintings, and wish me a Merry Christmas! Santa loves my newest painting in the Jolly Old Elf series, “All Aboard with Santa.” He says it makes him feel like a kid again! “All Aboard with Santa” is available as a limited edition giclee print, but it also comes in all sorts of…

I’m writing this to you late Wednesday night as we’ve just finished setting up my Holiday Market Chalet down in Market Square. Tom took this photo of me decking the walls earlier this week. We’re pretty worn out… not only have we been decorating, but we’ve also been stocking the Chalet with a ton of inventory for the coming 36 days. I can hardly wait for the Holiday Market to get started! My new Chalet is bigger and better than last year’s – actually DOUBLE the size! If you’ve visited me at the Holiday Market in Market Square in the…

I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but if I don’t at least get my decorating started before the Pittsburgh Holiday Market starts next Thursday, there’s no way I’ll get it done in time for Christmas. (Don’t judge! Costco’s been ready for Christmas for at least a month already.) Following the hanging of my original painting “All Aboard with Santa” over my mantel the other day, I got inspired to keep going. Tom and I put on holiday music and began to deck the halls! For the first time in a long while, we have to keep the decorations up high –…

Here we are in November… but I couldn’t resist showing off our little Halloween owl . Aria seems to be a bit annoyed, wondering why Mommy made her wear this funny outfit with wings on the arms. But we did let her have a taste of candy, and let me tell you, she didn’t mind that part at all!Speaking of Aria, she sure has grown a lot since she modeled for me last fall. She was just 4 months old – the perfect age to stand in for Baby Jesus – when she posed for “Santa and the Greatest Gift,”…

Though the pumpkins are still being carved and the candy is still uneaten, those of us whose businesses are busiest in the holiday season are already hard at work. The fall shows have begun, and I’m getting excited! It seems like every day there are decisions to be made, inventory to stock up on, orders to be filled, and generally preparing for the next two frantic months. For people like me in the art and gifts business, as far as we’re concerned, the holidays are already here! As I have been planning ahead for the upcoming rush on giftware items…

What beautiful weather we’re having! It’s been more like summer for the last week, though it’s now turning a little more brisk and Fall-like. But I really don’t need to follow the weather forecast…  my schedule of shows tells me the holidays are at hand! The show at Fort Ligonier Days was even better than I had hoped. So many folks came out to enjoy the festival and picked up a few pieces of art for loved ones or as treats for themselves. I greatly appreciate all of you – thank you for supporting your friendly neighborhood artist! If you’re…

Have you ever been to Fort Ligonier Days? It’s all-day fantastic experience with great food and music, historical re-enactments, and of course the finest art and gifts! It looks like Friday and Saturday will be perfect days to come out to the country (and don’t let a little rain scare you away on Sunday!). Ligonier Days is one of my very favorite shows of the year, especially with the beauty of fall and the wonderful people who always come to this event. I will be in booths #16-17 in the Loyalhanna Lot located off South Market Street behind the fort. The…

This week has been a time of intense creativity for me. We had the pleasure of hosting a nationally known artist here in Pittsburgh, and I was privileged to attend her workshop. Of course, being “Pittsburgh Proud,” we had to show her all the sights. She was suitably impressed and told us “You have a beautiful city!” My head and my heart responded together – “Yes, yes we do! And we are so lucky to live here.” You can google Christine Ivers and check out her work… both are pretty spectacular! So what did we do with Christine, and what…

It looks like Fall is making a comeback today, and it’s about time! For now, I’m pretty excited about it, as I’m not normally a person who loves the hot summer weather. But check back with me after November 16th when I’ll be downtown at the Holiday Market in Market Square for 36 straight days, bundled up in four layers of clothing and complaining about the cold. First, I just want to say thank you to everyone who visited my new website last week. It was great to see so many positive comments. I just updated the site with all…

Hi, it’s Linda! Not me, exactly… but my cyber-self, LindaBarnicott.com, had a complete makeover and she is looking fantastic! Yes! After months of brainstorming and hard, detailed work, my new website is finally live. I would love to hear your opinions, so check it out and let me know what you think! www.lindabarnicott.com It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned my work on the Forbes Hospital History/Community Wall mural. I had the opportunity to meet with the CEO of the Allegheny Health Network last Friday when several of us sat around a table and envisioned the final panel for the…