10 must see websites for pastel artists

Today I want to focus on the business side of the art industry.  I have been so lucky to have the resources to grow my business and continue to paint while helping to provide for my family.  I would like to pass on some of those tips and resources to you.

A lot of my contacts and resources are local, so I tried to pick some that are across the board.  If you are interested in a list of local Pittsburgh resources, leave a comment below.

1. BNI International - I started the list with this organization because it has been such a large influence in my business life.  BNI is a group of entrepreneurs who meet weekly and pass along referrals and tips.  This organization has helped me develop my business and networking skills.  And I have made some great friends along the way.

2. Wild West Online Productions - I previously included some commercials that were produced by this company.  In addition to having great insight on social media, Wild West also creates websites -- they created my website design, and I'm very happy with it.

3. Professional Artist - This magazine is formerly Art Calendar.  Some great articles, resources, and calls to artists.

4. Pastel Journal - Another magazine website, part of the Artist's Network site. They have a good many blogs to follow: The Artist's Network blog, Pastel Journal blog, Richard McKinley's Pastel Pointers blog, Watercolor Artists blog, and Holiday Gift Guides.

5. Richard McKinley - This is another link for all you pastel artists out there.  I've had the honor of attending some of Richard McKinley's workshops.  He's amazing!  And a very good teacher.

6. Mabef Easels - I've been using Mabef most recently for painting outdoors.  When I start my landscape paintings, the beginning stages are developed onsite.  These easels have been great for that environment.

7. Central Art Supply - Located in Medford, Oregon, Central Art Supply is a great resource for, well, art supplies.  Not to mention product lines endorsed by Richard McKinley.

8. Dakota Art - Pastels, pastels, pastels.  They have so many choices - soft pastels, pastel pencils, paper for pastels.  It's one of my favorite sources.

9. Vista Print - I actually discovered this site through a non-profit that I am involved with.  It is a great place to get cheap invitations, posters, business cards, and a lot more.  I would suggest that you definitely invest in some business cards.  It will ease networking.

10. No BS Marketing - I have been attending No BS Marketing meetings for the past 2 years, and during that time, my art business has definitely taken off.  They have taught me a number of ways to increase my online presence, effectively reach out to my customers, and grow my business.  Check it out!

The Holiday Market begins!

I'm here in Market Square for the very first day of the People's Gas Holiday Market!

Here are some pictures of what's happening today.

Holiday Gift Ideas -- for Western PA Grads

Welcome to the second installment of "Holiday Gift Ideas."  Today, I thought I would focus on the paintings that may interest those of you who are or who have Western PA Grads.  I have created multiple pictures over the years of local collegiate institutions.

 

University of Pittsburgh

 

One of my first city of Pittsburgh paintings focused on the iconic Cathedral of Learning on Pitt's campus.  This beautiful, unique building provided great inspiration for one of my favorite paintings.  If you look closely, you will see a man in a yellow jacket without an umbrella.  This is one of my husband, Tom's, first appearances in my paintings.

 

I spent a great deal of time on this painting.  So much so that my daughter, only 4 years old at time, referred to the Cathedral as "mommy's building" every trip into Oakland.  Little did we know, that 18 years later, she would be completing her grad work at Pitt and would have a class or two in the Cathedral. 

"Walking in the Light of the Cathedral" is available on my website.

 

Walking in the Light of the Cathedral

 

One of my other favorites is "The Glory of Heinz Chapel," a painting of Pitt's popular on-site chapel.  There are approximately 1500 events scheduled at the chapel every year and many Pitt grads have held their weddings at this location.  This painting is available in prints, giclees, or note card form.

 

The Glory of Heinz Chapel

 

Penn State University

 

Penn State grads are some of the most loyal, enthusiastic people when it comes to their alma mater.  When I finished my painting of Old Main, known as the "Heart of the Lion," it was immediately a best-seller. 

Tom and I spent four overnight trips taking pictures of the area.  I took pictures from every angle at every time of day trying to find the right composition.  Thankfully, I was at State College right before they took down the two Elm trees in the picture, they're a beautiful addition to the painting and allowed me to add some depth. The full moon was put in to offer some balance.

Almost everyone painted in "The Heart of the Lion" is an alum of Penn State (the only exceptions are my family and a couple friends).

This painting is still available in print, giclee, and note card form.

The Heart of the Lion

Duquesne University

Located in the heart of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University is beautiful.  The college has a rich Catholic tradition, making their Chapel a focal point of the campus.  "Chapel on the Bluff" features many Duquesne grads (along with my family, of course) and some of the University staff. 

Whenever I meet a Duquesne grad, they can always seem to pick out one particular person.  If you look at the man in the front left corner of the painting, dressed in green, that's Father Kealy, a beloved professor at the University.

Chapel on the Bluff

That concludes the latest installment of "Holiday Gift Ideas."  Please feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, or questions. 

I hope you and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

 

 

Light-Up Night!

Tonight is Light-Up Night in Pittsburgh!

 

Come visit me at 2 PPG Place.  I'll be there all evening!

Holiday Market...a new Pittsburgh tradition

This year, I will take part in Peoples Gas Holiday Market, a collection of local, national, and international vendors selling Christmas decorations and gift ware in Pittsburgh's Market Square.

The event will run from November 24th to December 23rd, from 11AM to 8PM.

Needless to say, this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint.

I have never had a show of this magnitude before.  The Duquesne Light Home & Garden Show has always been my most intense show, and it's only 10 days!  I've done the Home Show for a number of years now, and pretty much have a routine down.  I'm hoping to pull some of my experience at the Home Show for the Holiday Market.

I find myself facing the issue of staffing, figuring out what to do when there are multiple shows at the same time (and there will be), and deciding on inventory.

Pittsburgh has never done anything like this before.  The concept is based off of the Christkindlesmarkt which began in Nuremberg, Germany in 1545.  Since then, it has spread to many European cities, and, more recently, to the US & Canada.  The most popular (in North America) is based in Chicago and has been held annually since 1996.

Here's a picture of Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt in 2009:

This photo was taken by Roland Berger

Chicago's Holiday Market offers approximately 60 food and non-food vendors offering a wide variety of holiday gifts, decorations, and foreign cuisine.  Their market is a template for Pittsburgh's and hopefully ours will be equally as successful.  I'm so excited to see how this event will grow.

And it is going to be quite the undertaking.. Small, German-style chalets will be built to house each vendor.  The little buildings will have three walls, and an open storefront.  Holly and lights (not to mention that amazing, light filled Christmas tree they've been putting up in Market Square the last couple of years) will decorate the square. 

Imagine this with small shops and even more decorations.

The Golden Glow of Pittsburgh's Light-Up Night

It should be absolutely beautiful.

In addition to the vendor chalets, Mr. & Mrs. Clause will have their own house.  Children are welcome to come visit and get their pictures taken with Santa.  Local choirs, carolers, and dancers will perform throughout the festivities featuring Pittsburgh's very own.

But how to staff this giant event?  Right now, I've been recruiting friends and family to help out during the show.  My daughter and one of her roommates are going to spend their free-time working at the Holiday Market.  Many of my friends who have helped at shows here and there over the years are stepping up and taking shifts.

I'm so lucky to have all of them.

With more than one show happening at a time, I will have to split my time between the Market and the other shows.  Most likely, I will have others cover the Market while I meet those customers who attend the shorter, single day shows.  Hopefully this will allow me to meet and greet as many of you as I can.

The other major question, inventory, has posed a unique problem.  I'm juggling framers, printers, and suppliers to make sure all of my paintings and gift ware is represented at each show.  I will have to prioritize on what items should be at which show. 

Some shows don't require as many items.  Based on previous experiences, I'm trying to decide which shows usually sell large paintings and which shows require smaller gift ware items.

Not to mention trying to make sure nothing runs out! 

As I write this post, I've had to take a couple of calls to answer questions on this very topic. 

The Holiday Market is just a little over a week away (ah!).  I'm both excited and a bit nervous, but I know that no matter what, this will allow me the opportunity to meet more customers and here more stories about your Pittsburgh memories.

Hope to see you there!

P.S. - don't forget to leave comments and check back in to see how everything's going on this new adventure.

I'm on Twitter!

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm now on Twitter... @LindaBarnicott

I will tweet show locations, news, blog posts, and much more.  I hope to be able to connect with all of you.

Holiday Gift Ideas -- for the Pittsburgh Sports Fan

Christmas is fast approaching, and I thought I would pass along some ideas for Christmas gifts for your family, friends, and co-workers.  Every year, I know I struggle coming up with something for everyone, so here are some ideas for all those Pittsburgh Sports Fans in your life..

 

I have spent a lot of time consoling my husband on the fate of his beloved Pittsburgh Pirates over the years. 

 

So why not give your Pirates fans a reminder of the good old days? 

 

I have created two large paintings of Bill Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente, two of the greats.  The Clemente painting can be paired with the 8x10 portrait entitled "Reflections of Roberto." (I'm actually going to write a post detailing my process throughout working on both the large Clemente painting and the portrait. So stay tuned!)

Remembering Roberto Clemente

Reflections of Roberto

 

The great thing about the Bill Mazeroski prints is that he signed every single one.  He was amazingly generous with his time. 

When I first met Bill and his wife, Milene, they told me that their favorite part of the painting was the celebration panel at the bottom.  This was because when they met for their first date, they met under Kaufmann's Clock (which is included in that panel).  They actually owned a copy of "Meet me Under Kaufmann's Clock" before I even met them!

Mazeroski's Magical Moment

 

Speaking of "Consol"-ing (I know, I know, terrible pun), what about those hockey fans lamenting the potential loss of their season?  Cheer them up with a hockey inspired Christmas.  I have painted both the Civic Arena and Consol Energy Center. 

Hockey Fever at Mellon Arena

Pittsburgh's New Home for Hockey

 

For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, I have a special surprise.  However, you'll have to wait a little bit longer before I can officially announce it. 

In the meantime, check out my painting of Heinz Field.  I wanted to capture the total Steeler football experience including the crowds, the rivers, and the cold (sometimes stormy) Pittsburgh sky.  This image is also available in card, mug, and magnet form.

Game Day at Heinz Field

 

 

That wraps it up for the first addition of Holiday Gift Ideas!  Pair any of these suggestions with game tickets, jerseys, t-shirts, bumper stickers, or bobble heads and I'm sure you'll be able to check off a couple of gifts from your to-buy-list.
 

Commercials

Just thought I would share these short commercials with you. 

They were created by Wild West Productions.

 

 

 

 

Wild West Productions is helping me grown my online presence optimize my website.  They designed my website and have recenly started creating these short commercials.  Wild West also provides services to companies who wish to expand their social media marketing using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

If you're looking for a company to help you expand your online marketing, I would recommend starting your search with Wild West Productions.



Route 6 Recap

It's been a year since my painting tour of Route 6.  I can't believe how time flies!

Here are some of the finished products:

"Beauty Abounds at Baldwin Reynolds Mansion"

"Afternoon Splendor"

"Nature's Glory Along Broken Straw"

"Stroll Through Crescent Park"

"Light Dances on Mead Park's Bridge"

Don't forget to go back and read my posts chronicling my adventures around Route 6.

Welcome back!

Hello everyone!

Today marks the re-lauch of my blog.  I will post as regularly as possible (even throughout this crazy holiday season) and give you some insights into my art, business, and life.  I hope that as this blog grows, we can carry on a conversation.

Please check out my new About section, the Frequently Asked Questions, and my Calendar of Events. 

If you have any suggestions on topics or any observations or additions, please feel free to leave a comment. 

My favorite part of being an artist is sharing stories and memories with all of you. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Coming Soon...

My blog will be up and running on October 27th, 2012.  But until then, here's a look at my brand new painting, Pittsburgh's Shimmering Season.





Pittsburgh's Shimmering Season is available on my website!

 



And if you're in the Pittsburgh area, feel free to stop by my opening tonight, October 18th:

 

Courtney-Laughlin Frame Studio & Gallery

531 Third Street

Beaver, PA

5:00-8:00

 

I will be there to sign any purchases and I would love to meet you all.  Join us for a wine & cheese reception featuring entertainment by vocalist Rick Gilbert.

Site Renovation

My blog is undergoing some renovations.  Stay tuned for all new posts on a variety of topics, such as:

• A behind-the-scenes look at each of my paintings 
• Advice on running a successful art business
• Upcoming show information
• The newest in Linda Barnicott merchandise
• and much, much more!

Share this page with your friends and don't forget to leave comments.  

I would love to know what you would like me to write about -- I hope to hear from you!