Some summit

Bird on a nest
acrylic and marker on canvas
6 x 9 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010
(This painting was built on a
red ground, drawn in marker,
then painted in acrylics. Then
it was glazed with gloss gel medium.)

Toronto right now is looking a bit weird.
We're okay up here in our part of town,
but downtown near the lake where the
G20 summit is taking place, the city is not
its normal self. There's a high metal fence
around the summit area, masses of police,
helicopters in the sky, search lights at night.
We just went to feed my son's cats, and
it's a whole different world closer to the
summit center. The sound of helicopters
is a constant. Whew!

I photographed this little painting in my son's
apartment that I did a few year's ago for
the general show at our local Artwalk.
They asked for small work, and this was
mine -- it seems so appropriate in this
town today. Toronto is an organic, vibrant
town, posing as a T-cup. Get it? It's
looking fragile, and you have to treat
it like delicate, fine bone china. The bird's
eggs are the world leaders gathered in
the cup, and the squawking mother bird
is security, all the police trying to protect
the leaders. Nah I'm joshing you. When I
painted this I was into painting china
from my collection of antique cream jugs, and
my grandmother's tea set. We were asked
to paint on a nature theme for the show
(see Alyson Stanfield's gloss on the themed
art show) I believe, and this is what I did.

Meanwhile I'm glad to be in my quiet
house a good way from the summit meeting.
Toronto will breathe a sigh of relief when
it's over and we can resume our normal
outdoor, downtown, carefree summer life.

Have a thinking-good-thoughts-for-the-world day.