Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Terrific Tuesday

Tuesdays for me are jam packed with activity from dawn until Wednesday morning.
 I leave the house early in the morning, and spend the day either on my feet teaching,
or consulting with students in the minutes between classes. It's great work if you can
get it, and I really love my job, but I admit at the end of the day any teacher could
forgive herself for watching everything and anything on TV. Not me. I dash in, eat
a fast supper, and drive to my art group. Every week I argue with myself as soon as
 I'm home about whether I'm too tired to go out again. You are what propels me out
 the door into the freezing night. I want to show you the work I've done, so I have to
 do work. A simple formula. It was worth it tonight. The model was gorgeous -- a
gracious, lovely woman who held the exact pose all night, and got right back into
pose after each break. She wore a fantastic piece of fabric draped over one shoulder.
 I felt happy I'd made the trip the minute I saw her.
 
Art class sketch 
acrylic on canvas 
16 x 20 inches
So that's all for today. No deep thoughts. Just a delightful painting
experience. I'm not happy with the photo. The painting is still wet,
but I'll replace the image tomorrow.
Have an I-always-do-what-I-love-to-do day.

8 comments:

Susan Carlin said...

Beautiful painting, Barbara! I just finished an email to a woman who came into the gallery and declared herself a "stuck" artist. Teaches art and hasn't done a lick of art herself in a LOOOONNNGGG time. Her family declared her an excellent portrait artist and were sad she didn't/wouldn't paint. She wrote to me to say she was going to try again. I wrote back to say a version of what you just wrote: I paint as much for the art blog friends who want to see what I've painted next, as for an other reason. Barbara, you're the reason I paint! Big hugs from San Antonio...

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Susan,

I teach a course for people like that called Art Bypass. Maybe I should come down to San Antonio and hold a workshop sometime in the coming year.

I feel so terrible for that woman.
Thanks for painting for me. I paint for you -- and as Colbert says, you and you and you. (Love Colbert).

Hugs to you from the T.dot (Toronto)
Barbara

Liza Hirst said...

Love the face! It glows!
So you manage to go out again in the evening after a whole day of teaching, into the cold and dark, paint for a few hours and then you come home, take a photo of your painting, post it here and write to us all!!! I take my hat off!

Anonymous said...

Kudos! Nice painting and great effort gettin out there in the cold to "git er done". Thanks for another post letting us know what's goin on.
EW

Laurel Daniel said...

It's so important to have accountability and comraderie... keeps us all on track! Great job on this painting too (I love that blue behind her head - it just sets off her face.)

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Liza,

Thanks so much. Yep. Actually it
was only about an hour and a half.
But put your hat back on -- you paint every day, and run around taking children to airports and doing commissions and managing your house!
I take my hat off to you. Now I wish we could both take off our hats and coats and sit down together over a cup of tea.

xoxoxoxBarbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Eldon,

I'm inspired by the super work you do, and your determination to blog even when work is overwhelming. So I'm just trying to keep up with you.
I'm not there yet.

Take care,

Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Laurel,

Thanks so much. She had a spectacular face, and a very kind
character. I often wonder what the model is thinking as the artists scramble around trying to make decent work -- all wrapped up in themselves, not the model. This model enjoyed the evening and the people.

xoxoxoxoBarbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!