The magnificent Marcia

Crowing couple
Based on a reference photo by Squeaky Marmot
black marker and graphite on bond paper
10 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010
(I love crows. I started this drawing
before we went on vacation and didn't
even notice the second crow in the picture.
You can get some tired before a holiday.)

Blogs really do create and deepen friendships.
My friend Marcia Labelle credits me with encouraging
her to start blogging. I don't remember that. What
I do remember is my first meeting with this
formidable sculptor and incredible fine artist.
Back in university when I was a kid and a bit of
a space cadet, Marcia strode across campus wearing
a bright red jump suit, hair flowing. The former
actress, trained in New York who'd hit the boards in
England had a deep, gorgeous trained voice and an
air of knowing what she was doing.

Marcia and her husband, David Cohen, visit our show
On The Bright Side at the
Wychwood Barns in June.


Celsius
charcoal on manila
Marcia Labelle © 2010

I have been her friend and admired her art work
since that day. Her sculptures are fantastic, and
few artists I know can draw with such a command,
of line, shape and feeling. Since she started blogging
we have become much closer friends, because
discussions about art on the phone, emails and in
blog comments are so much easier with concrete
visual examples and writing at hand.

After the crisis of the cat was over, we took our son Sam and
his friend Nata to Port Dover one day. We'd never
been there and it's a two hour drive. So we ate dinner,
hopped in the car, then headed for Port Dover's beach. Lake
Erie has undergone a clean up and the fish in the lake
are now considered safe to eat. Port Dover is a vibrant
cottage and beach community with the requisite beach
side casual restaurants, and ice cream stands. We
walked on the beach and watched the sunset which
helped to ease our sadness at leaving Nova Scotia.

Nata, Sam and I pose
in front of Port Dover's
palm trees.


Sam, Nata, Steven and an unknown boy wait
for ice cream.

But the drive to Port Dover took us through Hamilton,
Marcia's hometown. So we called Marcia and she
graciously invited us over that evening for coffee.
I immediately asked to see Marcia's large studio
at the back of the house, and we left David, her
husband, Steven, Sam and Nata to look at her
work and talk about the blog world.

Before we left everyone came out to the studio
and stood in awe looking at Marcia's fine work.
But she and I kept talking. We don't see one another often
and there's an urgency in our talks now because
there's so much art to talk about, our own and yours
out there in blog land. It all matter acutely.

In fact my family was in the car, and we were about
to drive off into the very late evening when I said
stop the car I need five minutes to finish that
conversation, and jumped out to finish our
discussion about how blogging affects an artist's
work. So much fun.

Sunset from the pier at Port Dover, on Lake Erie

Have an enjoying-your-conversations-about-art day.