Vacation must really agree with us – Tom and I are super relaxed and enjoying our time away. A change of scene is something I highly recommend for everyone. Even if you can’t leave town, just spending some uninterrupted time with your loved ones is energizing for your spirit. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to have a great vacation experience that stays with you for the rest of your life. Other times you might have an experience that’s memorable… but for the wrong reasons! This actually isn’t our first visit to La Jolla. We vacationed here once many years ago when…

  Tom and I are in San Diego for the next two weeks getting some much needed R&R! And San Diego is definitely a great place for that. It’s really a beautiful city. The historic Gas Lamp District (as seen in the photo above) is one of those places I would love to paint, especially the unique trolleys. Since we arrived two days ago, we’ve been focused on putting our feet up and basking in the sun, but soon we’ll get out and see all the sights we’ve heard so much about. Of course I couldn’t leave work completely behind… so I’ll…

This week I had an opportunity to do something I love but don’t get to do very often. I spent an entire day visiting the beautiful garden of one of my clients to paint a plein airpastel. Claire’s remarkable garden is an exceptional, very personal expression of her love for landscape design and the beauty of nature. There is a unique gate and a wooden fence, both handmade by Claire herself, and they’re quite striking. They became the essential elements of the painting, but I also made sure to include the bird feeder, which is one of my favorite features. I…

Artists sometimes have an upside-down perspective on the seasons. Because the creative process takes time, we have to think many months ahead to prepare for the next season. So now that spring/summer has fully arrived (simultaneously this year!), my thoughts have turned toward Christmas… particularly, the 2018 paintings in my “Jolly Old Elf” series. This year’s companion print – the one that inspired me first – is Santa looking into a beautiful sparkly snow globe. But as you can see, the globe is empty! It’s not that I don’t know what to put in the snow globe – I’ve already…

As we head into Easter weekend, the Barnicott family is caught up in holiday planning and activities. But even without the holiday, the entire family has a lot going on right now. So much is happening this week! My younger daughter (who as I’ve mentioned before is expecting twins!) and our beloved son-in-law Jon along with our little granddaughter Aria are closing on a house of their own next week. Meanwhile, Jon is looking for a new job, and my daughter Brittany just got one – she was promoted to Director of Marketing for St. Vincent de Paul. Tom, of…

What happened to spring? Tuesday was supposed to be the first day of spring, and we ended up getting buried under a blanket of snow. (That stupid groundhog lied AGAIN!) My brain and my body are so tired of winter… so what, I wondered, could I do to console myself while springtime is so elusive, and we still have a landscape covered in winter white? Well, I found just the thing… I pulled together some of the plein air landscapes I had painted during my travels. After being battered by the shock of yet another cold snap and close to…

The Home Show is one of those times each year when I feel most blessed… when I get to speak with so many people – favorite friends and customers and new friends alike – about my art, my family, and life in general. Even when it’s too busy to have an actual conversation, just a quick hug or a wave from a friend warms my heart.  I always walk away from the Home Show with deep gratitude for all the wonderful people in my life. Though I enjoy the people interactions and the energy and hard work of the show,…

The Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show is an extremely busy time for me – it’s 10 days of nonstop action.  Just being here for so many hours every day, meeting, greeting, talking and selling all day long takes a toll on my body (and especially on my voice)! Today with Zero Hour at hand – less than 24 hours to go! – I’ll be here into the wee hours of the morning, tweaking the displays and making sure all the finishing touches are in place when the doors open tomorrow. But really it’s the week before the show – where…

Last night our power went out. In the winter, that can be a little scary because you don’t have heat. And you never notice how dark it can get in your home until you don’t have electricity. We just take it for granted in our daily lives and don’t appreciate it until the lights go out. When there’s a power failure, you have to rethink everything you do. For one thing, I couldn’t take our dog Allie out through the garage as we usually do – no power to open the garage door. No electric range and no microwave meant…