Thursday, September 1, 2011

Just peachy

 Peaches for lunch
Acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2011

It's the first of September and Toronto's heading into a long
weekend tomorrow.  It's impossible not to look back on
the summer -- almost gone -- with deep nostalgia.  Meanwhile
our backyard grape tomatoes keep yielding up quite a daily
harvest from their tiny garden patch by the back steps.
The plants climb up a fence and have grown so thick that
I have to be careful reaching in to harvest them, not to
damage the thick stems.

Steven says that I'm a seasonal kind of girl, meaning I paint
what's in front of me, and for the most part that's true.
This week he bought two 7 litre wooden baskets of
peaches, and they are a captivating fruit.  The taste is
one of my favorites -- just the best, and the fruit looks
like it should be eaten.  So last night I sat down and began this
little painting.

Fall will come, and our world will get colder, but for this weekend
at least, the neighbourhood boys are whooping it up in the park,
acting silly and doing impossible skateboard tricks.  Sam will come
home from his early start at school, and life will be just peachy, as
it is today.

Thank you Marcia and family for a lovely visit tonight.  That was
a great treat.

Have a getting-ready-for-fall day.

14 comments:

Kim Rempel said...

I love your colour palette! The peaches are delicious looking ; )

Linda Popple said...

Love your peaches on this little plate! Always so colorful. :-)

Nancy B. Hartley said...

More of those beautiful colors! I love this painting, so easy and carefree, as are the last days of summer!

Sally Dean said...

I feel your nostalgia too here in south shore of Boston!
Summer is so short, yet fall delights and winter magic awaits.
Your paintings inspire me!

cohen labelle said...

It was a treat for us too, Barbara! Steven's sensational cooking, getting to see your latest sensational paintings, regaled with dependable humor (the two of you in that department) - of course we were all enthralled with Timbah, Zooey and Fiona - yes, it felt like old times!!!!
love, Marcia

Liza Hirst said...

How could I have missed this lovely painting?! Peachy indeed - they look so real and enticing to eat.
Except for the last two days, London weather has been more like autumn for weeks. Was there a summer this year in Northern Europe??

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Kim,

Thanks so much. Aren't they amazing at this time of year. (I don't want summer to end.)

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Linda,

Thanks so much. Your portraits are so wonderful.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Nancy,

Thank you so much. I've got to admit I was having a great time doing it.

Absolutely love peaches.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Sally Dean,

Thanks for throwing me a life preserver. I do love fall, and everything you say is true. Sometimes we need to be reminded.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Marcia,

So great to see all of you. Jenny is such a beauty, and so full of humour and grace -- a lovely young woman, and of course you know I love being with you and David.

Love Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Liza,

We seem to ricochet between super hot and chilly, sometimes on the same day! Sorry to hear it's cold there already -- but then England is usually quite a bit colder than Toronto, because of the ocean -- it's the ocean effect. We were heating the school house with wood fires in July when we were in Nova Scotia.

Thanks so much. I'm glad you like them. The peaches are great this summer, and that isn't always true.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxBarbara

Melinda said...

Beautiful painting, Barbara! Those peaches look delicious. When I eat one of my organically grown peaches, I'll think of you.

It's a great time for them, yes?

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Melinda,

Wow. Now each time I eat one I'll think of you. We are eating organically grown peaches too. (Not our own). One person at the Farmer's market sold them with the leaves on. That's not common here. The last time I saw that was in Florence, where both apricots and peaches were sold in beautifully arrangements with the leaves on. I do love the look.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxBarbara

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!