Aren't we lucky?

View of Toronto and the CN Tower from the south facing 

lookout at the Art Gallery of Ontario

Yesterday was a learning day for me.  I went to the
Art Gallery of Ontario to meet a fellow artist,
and we  took in the Paterson Ewen and
David Blackwood exhibits.  Mid-afternoon on
a Wednesday was a great time to be there,
and people were easy going and friendly.  A
woman in the Paterson Ewen exhibit turned to
me with a big smile on her face and said, "Aren't
we lucky? Of course I answered, "Yes we certainly
are!"  There was so much meaning in her question.

Winter Walk (work in progress)

Acrylic on canvas

14 x 16 inches

Barbara Muir © 2011

(Blocking in the light areas)

I'm sure she'd seen me laughing with my friend
over tea in the member's lounge, but it seemed
like more than that.  We were lucky to be seeing
this magnificent exhibition in a beautiful gallery.
We were lucky to love art, we were lucky to live
in a peaceful country like Canada, we were just
lucky to be alive and to agree that we were lucky.

I felt so moved by her question that I wanted to
ask her her name so I could quote her here.  But
I immediately realized that her name wasn't
important.  It was her message and impulse
to share with me in that moment that mattered.

Winter Walk (work in progress)

Stage one 

Acrylic on canvas

Barbara Muir © 2011

(I started with a blue over black ground,

then drew a rough drawing of the scene

on in yellow watercolour crayon.)

Today has been a non-stop wonder from start to finish,

but I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.  Right now

it's very late and I have been running all day.  Until

tomorrow:

 Have a meeting-the-most-wonderful-people-in-the-world day.