I have been on Cloud Nine all this week, getting to know our little Aria Grace and mastering this grandma thing. I want to thank you all for the multitude of replies I received from so many of you after last week’s newsletter. They truly touched my heart! All of your good wishes were deeply appreciated. But as nice as it is to stay in our little family bubble, life goes on. As we look ahead to next weekend, I wanted to let you know I’ll be exhibiting at the Washington County Covered Bridge Festival in Mingo Creek County Park.…

That’s right – I became a grandmother this week! And I have a feeling we’ll be telling the story of the events leading up to Aria’s birth for many years to come… It all started at the Shadyside Arts Festival, which definitely didn’t turn out quite the way we expected this year! We were having a great weekend of sunny (though very warm) weather at the festival. It was really terrific! Sales were brisk all weekend, especially for my new paintings. (In fact, I want to thank all of you who came down to the show and visited my booth!)…

Wow! I have so much to tell you about this week! I’ve gone multimedia! This week you can see me 1) on TV, 2) in print, and 3) at a live show! First of all, I was on KDKA Pittsburgh Today Live with Kristine Sorensen on Monday. What a fun experience that was! Follow the link below to see a video of me in action! http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/show/pittsburgh-today-live/video-3451243-shadyside-arts-festival-returns-this-weekend/ I was also interviewed for an article that appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Friday, August 26th. It is a big article about the 20th Anniversary of the Shadyside Arts Festival. The Shadyside Arts…

First, I want to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers for Alyssa, Jon, and our soon-to-be granddaughter. This week was a rough one for them because of some pregnancy complications as well as a very scary auto accident. Don’t worry – everyone (including baby) is just fine… unfortunately, the car not so much. But as we have always said, “Cars can be fixed, people can’t.” We are just grateful that the kids were able to walk away from it. Now I have some great news I want to share with you… I will appear on Pittsburgh Today…

We’re having another eventful week at Chez Barnicott, as we found out that our daughter Alyssa is in need of some prayer. Her baby, Aria Grace, is still in the breech position, and there has been a lot of activity around this new finding. In just a few weeks, we will be holding our little gift, our first grandchild, in our arms! In the meantime, Alyssa’s doctors will be doing their best to help turn the baby, and a positive mindset can’t hurt. Any prayers will be greatly appreciated! Yes, it’s definitely been a week of surprises in the Barnicott…

Last week, I decided that since we were celebrating “Christmas in July” in Market Square, I would put in a request for some seasonal snow flurries to set the holiday mood. Unfortunately, the snowflakes I ordered must have melted in the heat, because we got rain instead! It turned out that my borrowed tent had multiple leaks, which led to multiple puddles… so my priority became taking cover and keeping my artwork dry. I was a little discouraged and ready to pack up and go home, but then Santa dropped by my tent for some photo ops with visitors and…

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,…