The love of tulips

 

Spring tulips

Three versions in acrylic on

watercolour paper

Barbara Muir © 

Today was another great day painting from the model. I'm still not ready to show
you.  The exciting and challenging thing about working on a large painting is
that you keep moving back, and looking at it from a distance, and seeing 
things differently and changing it.  A friend told me not to overthink.

I know what that means, but frequently with a portrait painting, overthinking it
is what saves it.  The painting has to express the subject.  Sometimes 
that takes work.

I love these tulip paintings, and they seem right as I'm painting a woman in a red
dress.  So beautiful.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Spring

 

Cloud Magic

Acrylic on canvas

4 x 6 feet 

Barbara Muir © 2018

The first day of spring makes me think of my mother who loved the changing of

the seasons -- especially spring and summer.  She loved walking and swimming.

She would be massively shocked at the state of the world now--not that the
world was not in chaos when she was alive.  It just seems more so.

My solo show opening April 5 and on view at The Heliconian Club, 35
Hazelton Ave., Toronto for the month of April, is about celebration. In

fact it's called The Art of Celebration. So my art in the exhibition
features the things in the world -- people, landscapes, still life
that make me happy. Everyone I know now is worried, or anxious
about the news -- so this show will be an escape. All cheerful.

A wonderful painter, Mitchell Johnson is having a few shows in the next
month, and one is of giant paintings in his super style.  This painting is

so far my most giant painting without combining canvasses, and I may
show a couple of the combination paintings too.  

I wish my mother was alive to come to my show.  I think she would be
happy for me.  I am slowly working on a large portrait for the show, and
the model comes again tomorrow.  As soon as it's finished, the
organizing, labelling, packing will begin.  I am so proud of all the

artists I know who do this all the time.  Hats off to you -- it's a big

deal.

Have a loving your life day.

Edit, edit, edit

 

An inside look at journal pages
I created when I taught an art journal
course. This is a collage of a mix
of images, coloured stars
sign maker's gold, marker and
watercolour crayon
(The message reads, "It's funny
this preoccupation with angels
because I don't believe in angels
except in the way of, "Be an
angel will you darling and
bring me a cup of coffee
please.") 

As a college professor I've taught writing and presentation.  The key
in both cases is somewhat the same as in painting -- edit, edit, edit.
In writing try something, if it doesn't work, delete and write it in
a different way. In art try something, if it doesn't work, rub it out, or paint
it over. Try something else. Part of it works, part doesn't?  More editing
on a visual plain. 

Back and forth.  And fingers crossed -- eventually you get it right.
If anything making art is harder than writing, which would surprise people.

Have a loving your life day!

The art of inspiration

Dreaming of Florence

Charcoal on bond paper

18 x 24 inches

© Barbara Muir  

 It’s strange how things repeat in life. Last year I was working on a painting
inspired by a John Singer Sargent painting, using a wonderful model and
this year inspired by many artists, I am working on another painting of a
model for my show coming up in April.

I love the drawing of the model Shakoya set in a Florentine background.
The halo also refers to Florentine paintings, especially by Botticelli,
whose work I love. I was lucky enough to see the work in person when I
showed in Florence, and was more dazzled than I could ever have imagined.

I’m not remotely religious in any sense, but I do love a halo. To me it indicates
a very kind and loving person.  We could use more of them!

Have a loving your life day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Steven and I dancing with glow sticks at one of
our former kitchen St. Patrick's Day parties

Tonight is a very quiet St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Steven and I will wear the
St. Patrick’s Day hats that we’ve had forever, and have a wee bit of green
champagne to toast the day.

As I said, in a former blog post, our family are very celebratory. One day when the
children were little, we bought green treats, green candy, made a green meal and celebrated
St. Patrick’s Day. You can never do things once with little children – they remember, and
thus a tradition was born. Neither of us are Irish.  But we do appreciate the day.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Have a loving Your life day!

The fascination of process

Sweet Sunlight and Coffee

Acrylic on canvas

18 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2023

In the final painting, the character recedes and is important but less 
visible.

Planning sketch
marker on Fabriano paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

I found this cool drawing from 2023 when I was prepping to do a painting of the
interior of a café. I completely forgot that I ever did a drawing first, that’s not
always part of my process. But there it is. And it turned out quite differently in
the painting.

In my a current painting. I’ve been working with a model in my studio. That’s
a very exciting way to paint – so direct. In fact, the model inspired the entire
painting's direction by telling me what she’d like to see, and where she wanted to be.

So my process changes all the time. I painted a tiny bit today, but the most exciting
thing was going down to the lake and walking along, staring at that beautiful blue, and
listening to the waves -- so wonderful. Before we went to the lake there was very
heavy rain, and we saw a rainbow as the sun came out.  A pretty wonderful day.

I hope you had a great day.

Have a loving in your life day! 

The gift of the studio

 

In the studio

Acrylic on canvas
16 x 16 inches
Barbara Muir © 2008

It's been a long time since I had a model pose in my studio.  This week a 
wonderful model came three times to sit for me, and it reminded me of
how fun that always was. That painting is not complete so I can't show

it to you. The gift?  When you're painting a model, you don't think
about anything else.  Wonderful.

I'm pretty sure, although the face isn't clear in the image above, and I don't
have a better photo, that this is Shaniece, who was a superb model, and friend.
She now has a family, and I am so grateful to her for the work she
helped me do.

Today we organized renting a van to take my work to my show for the 
April 5 opening.  And as strange as that was, it was also exciting.
Another step in the list of steps to the big event.

Have a loving your life day.