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,…

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…

If you’re a Pittsburgher, Kennywood Park is synonymous with Summertime. For many years I participated in their Celebrate America Festival around the Fourth of July, and though I’ve moved on, I treasure those sweet memories – especially meeting many of you there over the years. Remember the old song, “Everything Old is New Again?” If you’re a Kennywood fan, you probably know the park’s biggest news story of 2016 – the Return of the Whale! This week I want to share with you the “behind-the-scenes” backstory of my painting, “Making Memories at Noah’s Ark.” Back in the mid-90s, I sat…