Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The air conditioners arriveth


Oranges in a glass bowl on a summer tablecloth
8 x 8 inches
acrylic on canvas
Barbara Muir © 2010
(still some work to do here -- I'm
thinking about hits of colour on the
black. We'll see tomorrow).

When I was in New York people were delighted to
have beautiful weather, and so were we. We met
New Yorkers who joked that New York has only
two kinds of weather -- freezing cold, and horribly
hot. Sometimes it feels the same way here,
although it isn't entirely true. And I know it isn't
true in New York either.



The rooftop garden
the Metropolitan Museum of Art

New York City.
The incredible bamboo structure, Big Bambú, set the
scene for some great conversations in
early May.

Today was one of the warm ones, 84 degrees Fahrenheit
and sticky, going up to 86 tomorrow. These old houses
get pretty hot in that weather without some AC. We
don't have central air, so instead the men (Steven and Sam)
put in an air conditioner on the first floor (in the studio
-- yay), and one upstairs. With a series of fans we keep
the place reasonably cool.

So here's my painting for the day -- a bowl of oranges.
It's not quite complete but getting there.


My dog Zoey enjoying the sunshine.

Have a cooling-down-the-city day.

P.S. Last summer was so cold and rainy that
I only slept without a cashmere sweater or
fleece over my nightie one night all summer.
So you can imagine that Torontonians are
pretty delighted with the heat.

9 comments:

Kim Rempel said...

LOVE it!

Linda Popple said...

I love this painting!! The orange is so energetic and happy!

Stay cool!

Melinda said...

Hurray for AC's. Anything over 75 degrees (23.8 C) seems too uncomfortable to work in. Glad you have the guys to set this up. Well, of course it had to be set up in the studio!

Great photo of the rooftop garden installation. Went to the link and enjoyed reading about Big Bambu. Very interesting.

Melinda said...

Oh, and I think your painting of the bowl of oranges is vibrant and strong. Very nice.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Kim,

Thank you so much.

Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Linda,

It is a happy painting. I absolutely love the look of the oranges in that bowl against the tablecloth.

Stay cool wherever you are too.

Take care,

Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Melinda,

Whenever I want to paint vibrant and strong I think of your work and I'm so inspired. Yes nice to have men around to do these things. It has been hot.

Isn't the bamboo sculpture thing a riot? You emerge on the roof and this wild structure covers most of the roof garden. I spoke to the men
building it -- twin brothers. They plan to keep adding on to it until their project time is over. It is just beautiful.

xoxoxoxoxoxBarbara

eldon said...

How cool is that? So to speak....
:)

Seriously, I'm glad you're getting some relief.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Eldon,

Mega cool like so much in New York.
The coolest. A friend just got back and we nattered on about how much we missed New York. We sound so sad.
Time to plan the return visit!

Take care,

Barbara

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!