I’d like to say the big move is now behind us, but there’s still so much to do before we’re completely unpacked and settled in. Part of the process is figuring out how to transform this unfamiliar space that you have now occupied into something that is truly your own… arranging, storing, and displaying your “stuff” in a way that makes it your HOME.

Nevertheless, the artist’s busy lifestyle doesn’t allow for much down time (it’s not all painting beautiful cityscapes from Mount Washington!), and within 48 hours of the move, I was exhibiting at the wonderful Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival at Twin Lakes Park. It was a great experience to exhibit in this new venue and meet so many art lovers and friends, old and new.

And that’s not all… starting today, I’ll be at 2014 CTCC (Cranberry Township Community Chest) Community Days – Thursday from 4:00 to 10:00 PM, Friday from 4:00 PM to 1:00 AM, and Saturday from 1:00 to 10:00 PM. The event is in Cranberry Township Community Park, just off Route 19. In addition to Art in the Park, there will be concerts, a car cruise, carnival rides, an expanded kids’ area, and more. Sounds like a fantastic weekend outing for the family! For more information about this event and all of my upcoming appearances visit my website’s Calendar of Events at www.lindabarnicott.com/events

Stop by and see me at CTCC Community Days – I’ll be in Booth #B-16. Just mention this blog, and you’ll receive a FREE signed notecard!

My summers are always action-packed, but I think this year is a new record! Not just our move to a new home and new church, but also getting to know our new congregation, exhibiting at new venues, and setting up my entire studio in a new location! As they say, change is inevitable… and it certainly keeps me busy!

To make sure you always receive the latest information, please take the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters. CLICK HERE to become a subscriber. When you sign up you will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

Just a short note this week, as I’m not only exhibiting at a local show, but I’m still up to my neck in boxes from this week’s big move!

This weekend, I’m at the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival at Twin Lakes Park near Greensburg. There’s something for everyone here… with traditional and fine arts and crafts and live music and theater performances, as well as cultural heritage activities and delicious foods of all kinds. For more information about this event and all of my upcoming appearances visit my website’s Calendar of Events at www.lindabarnicott.com/events

This is my first show at this festival, and it’s definitely one of the prettiest venues ever! Check out this wonderful summer event and come see me at Booth #94! I’ll be here every day through Sunday from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Visit me at the Festival and mention this blog post, and you’ll receive a free signed art notecard!

As an added bonus, if you visit me at the Festival, I’ll show you how my new Kennywood painting is coming along!

To make sure you always receive the latest information about my ever-changing life, please take the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters. CLICK HERE to become a subscriber. When you sign up you will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

Tuesday is Moving Day, and would you believe I’m still packing boxes? I’ll probably be throwing things in boxes up until the trucks take it all away!

At least my studio is all packed up. Knowing that’s taken care of, I can focus on the good things that will be happening next week! Not only will Tom and I be moving to a new home, a new congregation, and a new adventure, but just two days after the big move, I will be exhibiting at the Westmoreland County Arts and Heritage Festival. The Festival takes place at Twin Lakes Park in Greensburg from July 3rd through July 6th. Hours are from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM each day. I hope you’ll come see me at booth number 94! For more information about all of my upcoming appearances visit my website’s Calendar of Events at www.lindabarnicott.com/events

I’ve even purchased a brand-new, non-leaking booth to display my art as beautifully and safely as possible. If you come see me at the Festival, you’ll get the “Full Monty!” – all my available artwork will be displayed! So if you need a gift for a special occasion, or if you want to add to your collection, please come check out my first-ever appearance at this new show. In fact, I may need you to look in on me just to do a sanity check after Moving Week!

As an added bonus, if you visit me at the Festival, I’ll show you how my new Kennywood painting is coming along!

So not only will I be exhibiting in a new venue, but I’m also excited to tell you about more big changes that are coming to my business. I did mention to you last week that I will begin accepting private students this summer in my new expanded studio. But that’s not all… Once I get set up in my new Bethel Park studio, I will also begin taking commission work once again. Due to my busy schedule painting city scenes, Kennywood, landscapes, etc., not to mention raising two amazing daughters, I didn’t accept commission work for many years. However, now I’m a liberated empty nester, and it’s full speed ahead! Bigger and better things are coming, and I hope to soon show you some unique work from new directions.

So while you’re out and about on these beautiful summer days, and you’re visiting your “special” place, I hope you’ll consider having it immortalized in a painting made in pastels. Think of how cool it would be to own a permanent keepsake of your most precious place on earth… a treasure that will last a lifetime.

As always, the very best to you… And please say a special prayer for me on Moving Day!

P.S. – My office phone (1-888-PITT-ART) will be down for one full day, from midday on July 1st to around midday on the 2nd. My new address as of that day will be 326 Turngate Drive, Bethel Park, PA 15102. I’m looking forward to fulfilling your art needs from my new studio!

To make sure you always receive the latest information about my ever-changing life, please take the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters. CLICK HERE to become a subscriber. When you sign up you will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

People ask me a lot of different questions about my art, but the one I get the most is “Which one of your paintings is your favorite?”

In fact, I do have a favorite… one very special painting in my own private collection that will never be for sale! It’s called “Coasting Through Kennywood.” Why is it the one piece that means the most to me? Because there are three personal stories related to that painting that make it the one that is closest to my heart.

• Back in 1997, I’d been painting Kennywood for three years. After two years at the Grand Victorian Festival, admiring the view from my tent on the corner by the bridge, I decided my next Kennywood subject would be painting the Jack Rabbit and the Racer coasters from a viewpoint across the lake.

  I loved that view because once upon a time, Tom and I stood there on that bridge in the summer of 1977 on our first real Pittsburgh date. As we looked into each others’ eyes, I told him I’d had dreams about us getting engaged and married. In one dream, the engagement ring was a gaudy plastic ring from a bubblegum machine! In the other dream, we tried to get married at a Justice of the Peace, but a couple coming out suggested we go to a church because they felt that being married by a judge was so impersonal.

  Tom just gave me an odd look, and without saying a word, walked away. I was crushed! Obviously my hints didn’t work… did I blow it? Later he told me that he was actually trying to get up the guts to ask me to marry him, and I just surprised him a bit! (Of course, there was a happy ending! He was able to get the courage to ask me later – about five minutes before my flight back to Philadelphia the next day!

• Another fun story about this painting is that when I sketched it out, I drew the old-style aluminum boats, as those were the ones used back when we were dating. The number 22 on the front-and-center rowboat is also very significant to us. At that time, ours was a long-distance romance, and Tom was visiting me in New Hope, PA, where I was working on an art project. One day we visited a little ice-cream shop we found in the woods, and when Tom received his change, we were shocked to see the number “22” written on the dollar bill.

  Why was that so surprising? At age 20, Tom sold shoes back home at South Hills Village, and his sales number was 22. He had a habit of writing “22” on the bills he earned from sales on any given night. Somehow this bill had miraculously found its way back into his hands all the way on the other side of the state at a little ice cream shop in the woods on our very first date! So that’s why I immortalized #22 on one of the boats in my painting.

• The third story is about the people in the painting. As I often do, I put some of my favorite people in this painting. The folks in boat #22 are best friends and actually modeled for me on a picnic bench in their backyard with an old broom and a broken hoe for oars. Also, Tom and the girls are front right – it may not be easy to recognize them, but I did the best I could, considering the small size!

We’re down to the wire as I close down my studio next week to pack. But did I mention that I’m still painting? I may even have something new to show you next week!

P.S. – For the first time in 19 years, I will NOT be at Kennywood’s Celebrate America next month. Unfortunately, the first day of the show, July 1st, is our Moving Day.

I will, however, be appearing at the Westmoreland County Arts and Heritage Festival (aka Twin Lakes) on July 3rd through 6th from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Stop by and see me at Booth #94! I promise I’ll have lots of new stuff to show you!

For more information about all of my upcoming appearances visit my website’s Calendar of Events at www.lindabarnicott.com/events

As the stacks of boxes rise higher and higher, I can’t avoid thinking about how Moving Day is getting closer and closer! I thought this would be a good time to give you a last look at my Monroeville home/studio and show you how I display my personal collection of originals. While some folks can’t make up their minds where to hang just one more painting, I somehow found places for 33 paintings in two rooms, with five more in my small foyer!

Many of my clients have questions about framing their paintings. Should they all have the same style of frame? Or perhaps all different frames? As you can see with the pieces I have hanging in my home, I like an eclectic look and choose different frames to suit the individual paintings. Of course, others prefer a more unified look where all the paintings are framed alike. It’s really a completely personal choice with no right or wrong.

I can literally spend hours searching for just the right combination of color mats and frames. These are the finishing touches that really complete the overall look of the piece. Again, it’s simply a matter of your personal style… the mat and frame combination that harmonizes with the art in a way that speaks to you.

Each and every one of the pieces hanging in my home has been framed and also protected by museum-quality glass (UV protective or museum glass) by my tremendous framing partner in Beaver.

So as I was saying, Moving Day is just around the corner! I will be shutting down my studio on June 23rd until I open back up officially on July 7th. That means this is the last full week of my Super Secret Originals Sale! This one-of-a-kind sale will never be offered again.

If this is the first you are hearing about my Super Secret Originals Sale, that means that you are not on the list to receive my weekly newsletter. CLICK HERE to become a subscriber. When you become a subscriber and one of my special collectors, you will always be among the first to hear about all my news!

This is your last opportunity to invest in one of these original pastel paintings (or your choice of many more that are in my studio) at a one-time-only price! Please call my studio at 412-372-3200, shoot me an email at info@lindabarnicott.com, or call my cell at 412-722-9413.

So please take pity on me… don’t make me pack up all these paintings! I hope to hear from you soon!

Check out this lovely testimonial I received from one of my wonderful customers in Michigan when she received her Pastel Original of “Pennsylvania’s Rolling Hills.”

“My painting arrived late this morning. It is gorgeous! A beautiful little jewel!! I’m trying to find a picture hook so that I can put it up right away. This will be a painting that I will look at often, anytime I want to think about ‘home.’ And that’s getting to be more frequent as the years speed by.” – Sandy

As a small boy, my husband, Tom, dreamed of learning to fly. His dad would pack up a lunch of brick cheese and rye bread, and together Tom and his dad would park at the end of the runway at the old airport and watch the planes take off and land. As Tom grew up, he found that he needed glasses, which meant he would never be able to become a pilot. Of course, he later found his calling in the ministry, but he never forgot his dreams of flying.

During the holidays, I met with a new client of mine who runs a flight school in Virginia. As we discussed her art needs, I told her the story about Tom’s childhood dream. Imagine how delighted I was when she offered to give him two lessons, complete with a flight log book that I could put under the tree on Christmas morning. It’s not every day you find the best possible Christmas gift for your spouse!

Of course, I had to do it right… so right before he opened all of his gifts, I wrapped up a basket with the flight book under a chunk of brick cheese and rye bread. When he opened it, I thought he was going to lift off right there in the living room!

So Tom had his first flying lesson this week… and he was like a kid in a candy store! He took off from Allegheny County Airport, and then later he texted me from Rostraver Airport, where he was practicing his takeoffs and landings. His text read, “This, next to our wedding and the kids’ births, is the best day of my life.”

It was a wonderful feeling to enable Tom’s dream of soaring through the sky. Now I’d like to help others “soar” in a metaphorical way by teaching them how to express themselves and find joy through art, painting their favorite people, places, and things.

When I open my new studio in Bethel Park, I will begin taking private students for the first time in many years. I’ll be accepting students in my medium, pastel chalks, at any level – from absolute beginner to accomplished amateur. If you (or your spouse or anyone else you love!) dreams of learning to paint and draw, I want to help you achieve that dream.

The program will consist of a series of four weekly private lessons; each class is a two-hour private session. That’s eight hours of “one-on-one” instruction each month!

Please share the news! Classes will begin enrolling soon. If you know someone who would like to learn pastels and drawing, please contact me via email, info@lindabarnicott.com

Back when our daughters, Brittany and Alyssa, were growing up, Tom was the minister at Emanuel United Methodist Church, and for four years, we lived in Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhood. At that time, we had the pleasure of living literally just down the street from the West End-Elliott Overlook – which as Pittsburghers know offers the very best straight-on view of the Golden Triangle!

It seemed as if fireworks were almost a daily occurrence during Pirate season, and as soon as we heard the first one go off, we would all run to the car and drive up to the Overlook. It was like having our own personal fireworks show!

Though we moved out to Green Tree after the first four years at Emanuel, for years I thought about that view just up the street from us and how much I wanted to paint it. In time, new stadiums and a new convention center changed our skyline, but the last time I painted that view was in 1992 for one of my best-known paintings, “My Hometown.”

When I finally created “Pittsburgh’s New Horizon” in 2005, I was very sensitive with my pastel chalks, as I wanted to make the city look as beautiful as I could from this vantage point 13 years later. It became one of my favorite paintings and has hung over my mantel for years.

Fast forward to 2014, when one of my loyal customers came by to purchase my original painting, “Game Day at Heinz Field.” As he inspected the painting, he talked about how much he loved this view of the city and how the sky looked in the original. “It’s a real Pittsburgh sky,” he commented. At that moment, I realized that what really spoke to him was the “Pittsburgh memory.” He wasn’t just a Pittsburgh sports fan, but truly an honest-to-goodness fan of Pittsburgh itself!

I then noticed that he was drawn like a magnet to “Pittsburgh’s New Horizon” in its place over my mantel. He spent a long time gazing at the painting and noting all the little nuances of my work… then he looked at me and asked, “Is this one for sale?” I knew in that moment was I going to have a bare spot above my fireplace! (As always, I’ve requested visitation rights so that I may still see it from time to time.)

Folks often ask how it feels to sell an original. Many times they refer to it as “letting it go.” I remember all the love I put into it, and I pause. Then I think about how much it will be loved in its new home… how much joy it will give to a new family… and the many conversations it will have around it. Then I remind myself that I’m sharing a gift that was given to me when I was just a child. It may not be the best, but it makes a difference.

PS… As moving day draws near, there are still originals in my studio that are looking for their “forever home.” If you are not already on the list to receive my weekly newsletter, and if you want to find out about my Secret Sale on originals, CLICK HERE to become a subscriber. Check out the available originals at my website, www.lindabarnicott.com, or call (412) 372-3200 to make an appointment to visit the studio. One of my originals could be yours at a great price! Hurry, the sale is ending mid-June.

Just one short week ago, I was in Yosemite National Park, painting beautiful waterfalls and trees. Now I’m back to reality, which this week means packing up my studio and home.

Fortunately, it’s not all work and no play because I’m also working on a new Kennywood painting! As you may have guessed from the picture above, the Paratrooper is the latest subject in my Kennywood collection.

The Paratrooper has a special place in my heart. It was a favorite ride for Tom and me when we were dating, and especially in later years when we rode it with our children by our side. I can close my eyes and remember the amazing feeling of flying through the air with the breeze on my face and how we would try to kick the leaves as we passed close to the tall trees.

I don’t have much to show yet, but check out this photo of me sketching the scene! Just let your imagination fill in the blanks and see how close you are to what it will actually look like…

For the past 18 years, first for Grand Victorian Days, then for Celebrate America, I’ve had my art booth on the lagoon just across from the Paratrooper. And every year, I’ve enjoyed the wonderful performances by the Kennywood Entertainers – the guys and gals from across the country who come together to perform for park guests throughout the festival. I’ve been very fortunate to enjoy their shows directly in front of my booth, and sometimes they’ve even included me or my family in their performances!. Though they appear at Kennywood only once a year, this multi-talented group is an important part of my “Kennywood Experience.”

Unfortunately, this year I’ll miss Kennywood’s Celebrate America Festival because we’ll be in the middle of our move to Bethel Park. The good news is that I was invited by the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) to unveil the painting at KennyKon, a special event that will take place at Kennywood at the end of July. The painting will be officially unveiled and available on July 27th as a limited-edition giclee print (Only a small number of prints will be sold).

If you are not already on the list to receive my weekly newsletter, and if you want to get a sneak peek of this painting in progress, CLICK HERE to become a subscriber. I hope you will enjoy watching it evolve from a rough sketch to a finished work of art!

And, when you become a subscriber and one of my special collectors, you will also be among the first who can purchase a print before they’re available to the public. Just call me at my studio, (412) 372-3200, or email me info@lindabarnicott.com, and I’ll save you a copy!

Writing to you from sunny California! (I know, “Don’t rub it in!”)

Tom and I have been checking in with home regularly, and I believe it has rained each and every day we have been away. But here in Fresno, the sun has been shining, and the sky has been blue and beautiful. While we’ve been here on our Yosemite adventure, we’ve been staying with our friends, Ginny and Jeff. Ginny is a fellow artist and owner of “A Sense of Place,” a fine-art gallery in Fresno. And I’m pleased to announce that as of today, Ginny will be the official representative for Linda Barnicott Publishing in California.

Since I’ve been in California, I’ve painted a few pieces in Yosemite National Park and even a portrait of a precious dog named Piper! Yosemite is a place that you could paint forever and never get bored. In fact, I’ve already planned a year’s worth of new works that I’ll be completing at home and then shipping them to California for sale… unless, of course, I sell them before they go!

I hope you like what I’ve finished so far!

One of the paintings that I’m just finishing up will be presented for sale tomorrow to an art collector from the Bay Area. He saw it partly finished yesterday and called Ginny back, saying he just couldn’t get the painting out of his head! He’s bringing his wife with him to meet me and see the painting for herself. I hope she feels the same way about it, and that they’ll be the new owners of this special piece.

With the busy summer ahead, we really appreciated this wonderful opportunity to spend time in beautiful Yosemite National Park, relaxing, creating art, and gathering inspiration for another year of painting… and especially trying not to think about our impending move! Soon Tom and I will be on our way back home, where we can get back to the real world – like organizing and packing our entire household and my studio in the next two months!

Speaking of moving, don’t forget that rather than packing up and moving all of my originals, I’d love to find new homes for them before then so I don’t have to go to all that trouble!

My Secret Sale of my original works is going on until Packing Day (mid June or thereabouts), so stop by the studio, give me a call at (412) 372-3200, drop me an email at info@lindabarnicott.com, or check out my website, www.lindabarnicott.com , to see which originals – maybe one of your favorites? – are looking for a good home!

“Game Day at Heinz Field”

I have some great news to share with you! I have had several calls about my originals in the past week, and one of my favorites is headed for its permanent home. “Game Day at Heinz Field” has found a happy home in the South Hills! It’s one of my favorite pieces – against a classic Pittsburgh winter sky, this original just glows with reflections on the water and the colors of the fans in the seats. The frame is black and gold with a brass title plate shadow-boxed in the mattes.

“Game Day at Heinz Field” was so much fun to create. My favorite memory of that creative process is the night I went down to Station Square to see the stadium after dark. It was a perfect night… as the fans gathered for the game, the beauty of the reflected light on the water made my heart sing. Then, as luck would have it, the water shuttle carrying fans to the stadium passed by, creating a brilliant twinkling in the water from its wake. I like to think that you can feel what I felt when you look upon this painting.

If you know me (and most of you do!), you know how important it is for me to find a good home for my originals. The process of creating an original painting is like raising children in a way. I develop them from just a thought and help them grow into a finished work of art. Each new stage builds upon the last. Along the way, there are challenges and victories, and the end result is worth all the hard work. I can’t speak for other artists, but as each day passes, when I look into my studio for the first time each morning, I smile because I can see that beautiful work of art emerge, becoming the best I can make it.

Because I’ll be moving soon, I’m hoping to find homes for as many of my originals as possible. If you’ve ever thought of owning an original piece of artwork, why not invest in one of my paintings of something you love? Pastel paintings will last for centuries and will be a family heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation… a gift that keeps on giving that you can enjoy right now!

Drop me an email at info@lindabarnicott.com, or give me a call at my studio, (412) 372-3200. Or have a look at my available originals on my website at www.lindabarnicott.com and see if something catches your eye!

I’ll be in California painting amazing natural scenes around Yosemite National Park until May 17th. I’ll have more to tell about my trip next week!